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http://archive.org/details/geologicalreportOOemmo 


t 


•;  GEOLOGICAL  REPORT 

r  OF   THE 


MIDLAND  COUNTIES 


OF 


NORTH   CAROLINA. 


BY 

EBENEZER  EMMONS'. 


Illustrated  with  Engravings.  ,      ^ 


NEW    YOEK: 
GEORGE    P.     PUTNAM    &     CO 

RALEmH: 
HENRY    D.    TURNER. 

1856. 


•#♦# 


Printed  by  Holdex  &  Wilson,, 

Ealeigh,  N.  G. 


To  His  Excellency  Thomas  Bkagg, 

Governor  of  JSforth  Carolina. 
Sir: 

It  would  be  an  omission  of  duty  on  my  part  to  neglect  to 
speak  of  the  interest  you  have  taken  in  the  geological  survey 
during  the  period  you  have  held  the  high  office  of  Chief 
Magistrate  of  Korth  Carolina.  Upon  myself  its  influence  has 
been  cheering,  and  I  hope  its  effects  will  be  seen  in  the  re- 
sults of  the  survey. 

The  publication  of  this  report  has  been  delayed  much 
longer  than  I  expected,  but  it  has  arisen  from  causes  beyond 
my  control.  It  embodies  what  is  now  known  of  the  mineral 
resources  of  the  midland  counties.  I  have  intended  in  all  of 
my  statements  to  keep  within  the  bounds  of  truth,  and  not  to 
give  them  a  coloring  which  future  experience  will  not  justify. 

I  submit  it  to  your  Excellency,  regretting  that  it  is  not 
more  worthy  of  your  approbation. 

I  am,  Sir, 

Your  Obedient  Servant, 

EBENEZEE  EMMONS. 
Ealeigh,  October  1,  1856. 


*0 


•I- 


PREFACE. 


This  Report  is  selected  from  the  matter  contained  in  my  field 
notes,  wMcli  has  been  accumulating  during  the  period  the 
survey  has  been  in  progress.  My  attention  from  the  first 
was  directed  to  the  mineral  interests  of  the  midland  coun- 
ties, but  at  the  commencement  of  the  work,  I  was  obliged  to 
be  satisfied  with  an  examination  of  abandoned  mines,  and 
the  indications  which  the  country  afforded  of  those  which 
had  not  been  observed.  Since  the  second  year  of  the  sur- 
vey, the  opportunities  for  investigating  its  mines  and  mineral 
interests  have  been  much  greater,  and  I  have  improved 
them,  when  possible,  for  acquiring  a  more  exact  knowledge 
of  their  characteristics.  The  Deep  river  coalfield  has  been 
carefully  re-examined  along  the  outcrop  of  coal  and  its  bitu- 
minous slate,  and  the  results  of  these  examinations  tend  to 
confirm  the  views  I  expressed  in  a  former  report.  It  will  be 
perceived,  that  the  products  of  this  coalfield  are  more  valua- 
ble than  the  friends  of  the  Deep  river  improvements  had 
anticipated.  But  I  believe,  if  those  improvements  had  been 
completed  at  an  early  day,  the  prospects  at  this  time  would 
be  much  better  than  at  the  present.  The  mining  interests  of 
this  State  are  worthy  of  the  consideration  of  the  public. 
The  auriferous  ores  are  remarkable  for  their  richness.  The 
silver  lead  of  the  Lead  Hill  or  Washington  mine,  is  probably 
not  exceeded  in  value  by  any  mine  in  this  country,  and  per- 
haps I  may  say,  in  any  country.  It  yields  zinc,  lead,  copper, 
silver  and  gold.  The  processes  for  the  separation  have  been 
80  simplified  that  all  these  metals  may  be  preserved. 


VI '  PEEFACE. 

The  fliietnations  in  mining  property,  however,  have  in- 
jured its  reputation  in  several  notable  instances.  This  has 
arisen  from  speculations.  Many  mines  have  been  purchased 
with  that  view  alone.  They  have  been  in  the  hands  of  stock 
companies;  and  it  was  more  consonant  to  the  feelings  of 
parties  to  make  money  by  the  forced  rise  or  fall  of  stocks, 
than  by  legitimate  mining  business.  But  this  is  now  assum- 
ing a  more  permanent  character,  and  the  time  is  not  distant 
when  it  will  become  one  of  the  main  sources  of  the  wealth 
of  the  State. 

The  recorded  observations  embodied  in  this  Report  have 
been  made  by  those  who  have  been  engaged  in  this  survey. 
"We  have,  it  is  true,  received  information  from  others ;  but  at 
'the  same  time  it  has  been  made  a  principle  to  see  for  our- 
selves, and  to  base  every  important  inference,  or  doctrine, 
upon  independent  observations. 

It  would  be  unjust,  however,  to  two  distinguished  indi- 
viduals, to  intimate  that  the  geology  of  the  State,  and  its  re- 
sources, are  now,  for  the  first  time,  placed  upon  record.  The 
Pioneer  in  these  investigations  was  Prof  Olmsted,  of  Yale 
College.  He  was  followed  immediately  by  Prof.  Mitchell,  of 
Chapel  Hill.  Their  examinations  were  practical,  and  highly 
valuable.  Tlieir  reports  are  extremely  scarce.  I  have  not 
referred  so  frequently  to  their  labors  as  I  should,  if  I  could 
have  had  access  to  them  at  the  proper  time.  But  geology 
has  undergone  important  changes  since  their  investigations 
were  made,  and  these  gentlemen  would  now  put  an  entirely 
new  phase  upon  their  reports,  were  they  in  the  field. 

It  will  be  seen  that  I  have  attempted  to  determine,  more 
than  had  been  done  prior  to  the  commencement  of  the  sur- 
vey, the  age  of  the  formations  of  this  State.  The  use  of  the 
word  AGE  is  comparative,  and  is  always  so  understood  by 


PKEFACE,  Vll 

geological  writers.  Even  in  this  sense  of  the  word,  there  are 
great  difficulties  to  be  met  and  overcome,  inasmuch  as  there 
are  no  immediate  terms  of  comparison  which  can  be  em- 
ployed ;  for  instance,  the  lower  part  of  the  Deep  river  coal 
series  which  I  have  called  the  Permian,  rests  upon  the  Pri- 
mary and  Taconic  rocks.  But  the  Permian  is  not  connected 
with  the  series  which  immediately  preceded  it,  indeed  the 
three  older  systems,  the  Silurian,  Devonian  and  Carbonife- 
ferous,  are  absent.  The  long  interval  during  which  these 
systems  were  being  deposited,  is  a  blank,  upon  the  Atlantic 
slope.  The  regular  succession  is  interrupted^  and  during 
these  vastly  extended  periods,  this  slope  was  dry  land.. 

While  engaged  collecting  the  matter  of  this  Peport,  I  have 
not  neglected  the  agricultural  interest;  but  it  was  thought 
proper  to  coniine  the  communication  to  the  subject  already 
indicated.  Should  another  be  called  for,  I  propose  to  pursue 
the  plan  which  I  have  adopted  in  this.  The  western  section 
of  the  State  follows  in  the  order  I  originally  proposed. 

The  eastern  counties  embrace  a  field  of  great  interest  and 
importance,  but  it  is  quite  different  in  its  characters  from 
the  former,  as  most  of  the  citizens  of  the  State  already  know. 
I  hope  to  complete  the  examinations  of  it  this  autumn  and 
winter ;  and  during  the  coming  spring  and  summer,  to  com- 
plete also  the  survey  of  the  western  and  south-western  coun- 
ties. 

The  additional  labors  which  those  who  are  now  engaged  in 
the  survey  have  voluntarily  undertaken,  has  impeded  the 
common  fieldwork  which  had  been  laid  out,  and  has  pre- 
vented its  extension  to  the  western  and  south-western  coun- 
ties. But  this  should  not  be  regretted,  inasmuch  as  its  ad- 
vantages will  be  increased.  The  additional  work  referred  to, 
consists  in  the  collection  and  arrangement  of  specimens  of 


Vlii  .  PREFACE. 


the,  rocks  and  simple  minerals  and  fossils  illustrative  of  its 
geology  and  mineral  productions.  They  have  been  arranged 
in  a  room  provided  for  the  collection  in  the  Capitol.  Citi- 
zens and  strangers  visiting  Ealeigh  will  be  able  to  form  an 
opinion  of  the  resources  of  the  State  by  an  examination  of 
this  collection. 

It  contains,  as  yet,  only  the  products  of  the  midland  coun- 
ties; and  though  it  does  not  make  a  brilliant  show,  still  it 
will  be  found  a  valuable  depository  for  many  ptii'poses. 

I  deem  it  necessary  only  to  add  to  the  foregoing  state- 
ments, the  expression  of  my  desire  to  complete  the  survey  at 
an  early  day  as  possible,  consistent  with  that  degree  of  com- 
pleteness which  shall  give  satisfaction  to  its  friends,  and 
especially  those  who  projected  it. 

It  is  important  also  to  say,  that  in  the  printing  of  this  Re- 
port, that  several  of  the  forms  passed  through  the  press  with- 
out my  supervision,  and  it  will  be  seen  that  in  them  are  ma- 
ny errors ;  these  will  be  found  in  the  proper  place,  corrected, 

EBENEZER  EMMONS, 

Geologist  to  North-Carolina. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 
Natural  Divisions  of  the  State ;  the  Three  Parallel  Belts  or  Zones ;  the  Eastern 
Western  and  Midland  Lines  of  Demarkation  between  them — Characteristics  of  these 
Zones,  etc.    5 — 8. 

CHAPTER  II. 
The  Catawba — Its  Manufacturing  Sites — The  Great  Horse  Shoe  Bend  and  Palls  in  its 
vicinity.     8 — 18. 

CHAPTER   III. 
Elementary  facts  and  principles  respecting  the  Igneous  or  Pyrocrystalline  Rocks. 
18—22. 
.  _  '  CHAPTER   IV. 

Origin  of  the  Sediments. — How  distiguished  from  the  Eruptive  Rocks — thickness  of 
the  Sediments — their  Classification,  etc.    23 — 27. 

CHAPTER  V. 
Of  the  Eruptive  or  Pyrpcrystalline  Rocks  of  the  Midland  Counties  of  North.Caro- 
lina — t  heir  Distribution,  etc.    27 — 36. 

CHAPTER   VI.  , 

Of  the  Laminated  Pyrocrystalline  Rocks— as  Gneiss,  Mica  and  Talcose  Slates  and 
Hornblende. — Limestone.    36—38. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Of  the  oldest  Sediments — their  Primary  Character  or  Aspect— difficulty  of  distin- 
guishing them  from  the  true  Primary  or  Pyrocrystalline  Rocks  by  their  Lithologi- 
cal  Characters,  etc.    38 — 4:1. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

The  Rocks  referred  to,  as  belonging  to  the  oldest  known  Sediments,  belong  in  part 
to  the  Midland  Counties.— They  are  Slate  and  Quartzites  mainly,  and  their  Sedi- 
mentary Origin  is  based  mainly  upon  conformably  Pebbly  Beds. — They  are  found  to 
be  related  to  Rocks  which  are  known  in  the  North,  and  which  there  constitute  the 
Taconic  system.    41 — 45. 

CHAPTER    IX. 

The  Explanation  of  the  term  System. — The  Determination  of  Systems  did  not  take 
place  in  the  order  of  their  Age. — The  Results  which  have  been  obtained  by  the 
Determination  of  their  Order. — Species  few  in  the  oldest  Rocks.— Lithological 
Character  of  the  Sediments  in  North-Carolina.    45 — 48. 

CHAPTER  X. 
Members  of  the  Taconic  system — Division  into  upper  and  lower — Minerals  give  char- 
acter to  the  Rock  they  form  in  certain  cases — Mica  and  Talcose  slates — Agalmato- 
lite — Quartz  and  its  associates — Fossils,  etc.    46^59  i 

CHAPTER  XL 

Fossils  of  the  lower  Taconic  Series.    59 — 64. 


X  TABLE  OF   CONTENTS^ 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Upper  division  of  the  Taconic  system  and  its  series  of  rocks,  Clay  Slates,  Chloritic 
Sandstones,  Cherty  beds,  Flag  stones,  and  Brecciated  conglomerates.    65 — 69. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
On  the  Quartzite  of  North-Carolina — Varieties,  Geological  Relations,  etc.    69 — 73. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
Origin  of  Vein  Fissures,  Dykes,  etc. — General  considerations  relating  to  them — Kinds 
of  Vein  Stone  or  Gangue — Their  relations  to  heat,  etc, — Metallic  Veins — Sulphu- 
rets— Oxides.    73—81. 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Characters  of  a  Vein  Fissure — Distribution  of  Metal  in  a  Fissure — Influence  of  "Walls 
on  the  arrangement  of  the  inclosed  Ore  and  Rock,  its  parallel  arrangement — Con- 
siderations respecting  Iron.    82 — 92. 

CHAPTER  XVI.  f 

Geological  ranges  ot  the  Ores  or  Metals, — Are  certain  Metals  confined  to  any  certain 
Rocks  ?    92—97. 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
Circumstances  which  favor  the  accumulation  of  Ore  in  Masses — State  of  the  adjacent 
Rock,  (sometimes  called  the  country,)  which  appears  to  favor  the  accumulation 
of  Ore  in  a  Vein — Vicinity  of  Elvans — Passage  of  a  Vein  from  one  Rock  to  another 
—Condition  of  the  Walls  of  aVein.    97—107. 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 
Directions  of  the  axis  of  disturbance  or  the  lines  of  faults  and  of  Dyke  Fissures — 
Direction  of  Vein  Fissures — General  conclusions,  etc.    108 — 111. 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
Repositories  of  the  metals  in  the  midland  counties  of  North-Carolina — They  belong 
to  both  divisions  of  the  rocks,  the  primary  or  pyrocrysialline,  and  the  sediments. — 
In  the  former,  they  are  always  in  veins,  or  else  in  beds  of  the  same  epoch  with  the 
rock ;  in  the  latter,  in  veins,  and  in  the  condition  of  sediments. — Of  the  ores  of 
iron.    112—128. 

CHAPTER  XX. 
Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued. — Gold  and  its  position,  relations,  etc.    128— 136. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued — Gold  associated   with  Quartzite  and  Slate  and 
frequently  in  irregular  veins — Seams  and  natural  Joints.    137 — 141. 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued. — Veins  belonging  to  the  Slates. — True  Veins. — 
Arrangements  of  the  materials  filling  the  Fissures. — Right  running  Veins,  or  cross 
courses. — Conrad  Hill  Gold  Mine. — Description  of  its  Veins — their  characteristics. 
141—154. 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued. — Auriferous  Veins. — Gold  Hill  Gold  Mine 
154—179. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued — Gold  Veins  in  the  Syenitic  Granite  of  the  Salis- 


TAELE   OF   CONTENTS,  XI 

bury  and  Greensborough  belt — McCullock  Gold  Mine — Pioneer  Mine— Fisher  Hill 
Gold  Mine,  etc.    170—183. 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
Repositories  of  Metals  continued — Silver ;    Washington  Silver  mine  ;  its  prolonga- 
tion, etc, — Character  of  the  Veins  at  diJSferent  depths,  etc.    183 — 196. 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued — Veins  belonging  to  Granite — Copper  considered 
as  one  of  the  Metals  accompanying  Gold — ^Copper  Veins  ot  the  Granitic  formation 
— North-Carolina  and  other  Copper  Mines  of  the  Granitic  districts.     196 — 208. 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued — Lead  and  its  combinations;  its  Geological 
Relations  and  Associations.    208 — 210. 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued — Zinc,  its  ores,  geological  relations  and  asso- 
cia,tions.     210—212. 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued — Manganese,  its  ores,  their  geological  position 
and  relations.    213   -£14. 

CHAPTER   XXX. 
Earthy  Minerals  and  Rocks  which  possess  a  value  in  the  Arts. — Steatite — Agalmato- 
lite — Pseudo  Burrhstone — Roofing  Slate — Fire-stone — Fire-clay — Porcelain-clay — 
Building-stone — Porphyry — Antifriction  Rocks,  or  Rocks  which  may  be  employed 
for  the  bearings  of  heavy  wheels.    214 — 221. 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 
Graphite — Its  relations,  extent,  quality  and  uses.    221 — 227. 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 
Deep  River  Coal  Field — Masses  which  compose  the  formation — considerations  re- 
specting its  age.    227 — 239. 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 
Geographical  extent  of  the  Coal   Measures,  together  with  the  imder  and  overlying 
Sandstones.    239—246. 

CHAPTER    XXXIV. 
Quantity  and  quality  of  the  Deep  River  Coal — Composition,  etc.    246 — 254. 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

The  Dan  River  Coalfield — Division  of  the  beds  composing  it. — Conglomerates  and 
Breccia.— Lower  Sandstones. — Coal  Shales. — Upper  Sandstones. — Conglomerates — 
and  Brecciated  Conglomerates.    254—261. 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 
Economical  Products  of  the  Coal  Fields,  and  of  the  Red  Sandstones.    261 — 268 

CHAPTER  XXXVII. 
The  Advantages  of  Deep  River  for  the  Transportation  of  Iron,  etc.    248 — 260; 

CHAPTER  XXXVIIL 
History  of  the  Opinions  respecting  the  Age  of  the  Deep  and  Dan  River  Formations. 
Division  of  the  Series  with  Remarks  sustaining  it,    271 — 283. 


XU  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXXIX. 
Jjeseription  of  Organic  Eemains  of  the  lower  series  of  Deposits  of  Deep  rirer,  which 
have  been  denominated  the  Permian  system.    283 — 293. 

CHAPTER  XL. 
Of  the  Animal  Remains  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Deep,  and  Dan  rivers,— Notice  of 
the  Vertebral  Remains  of  the  Bristol  Conglomerate,  etc,    293. 

CHAPTER  XLI. 

Fossils  of  the  argillaceous  blue  slates^  equivalent  to  the  coal  shale  groups  of  the 

Thuringerwald,  with  remarks. 

CHAPTER  XLII. 
The  Coalfields  of  Deep  river  and  of  Richmond  compared — 1st  as  to  their  lithologicai 

characters ;  2d  as  to  their  palseontological  contents,  and,  3d,  the  indications  of  their 

comparative  age. 


INTRODUCTION. 


The  subjects  treated  of  in  tiiis  Report  are  mainly  those  which 
relate  to  the  natural  resources  of  the  midland  counties  of  the 
State,  It  therefore  contains  a  statement  of  the  water  power, 
an  account  of  the  depositories  of  the  metals,  the  materials 
used  in  construction,  and  those  which  are  important  to  the 
arts  and  manufactures. 

It  is  not,  however,  intended  to  intimate  by  the  foregoing 
statement,  that  the  princi]3les  of  geology  have  been  entirely 
omitted.  If  the  subjects  alluded  to,  were  treated  of  without 
reference  to  principles,  they  would  lose  much  of  their  inter- 
est and  utility ;  for  geological  investigations  cannot  be  suc- 
cessfully pursued,  or  their  results  understood,  unless  our 
researches  are  prosecuted  under  their  guidance.  It  seemed 
necessary,  therefore,  to  incorporate  so  much  of  the  elements 
and  principles  of  the  science,  as  appear  to  be  intimately  re- 
lated to  the  subjects  treated  of  in  this  Report.. 

In  its  perusal,  it  may  appear  to  some,  that  I  have  occupied 
too  much  space  to  the  consideration  of  subjects  which  are 
interesting  to  a  few  only,  or  which  may  have  reference  to  the 
author.  To  such,  I  will  say,  that  it  became  necessary  to  make 
reference  to  what  I  have  said  and  done  at  former  times ;  but 
I  believe  I  could  not  say  less  and  leave  the  subjects  so  as  to 
be  understood.  Others  may  not  perceive  that  it  is  at  all  ne- 
cessary that  the  elements  and  principles  of  geology  should  be 
at  all  important  in  communicating  facts  respecting  the  re- 
sources of  the  country.  On  this  question,  a  medium  course 
should  probably  be  pursued.  It  is  not  necessary  that  every 
fact  should  be  explained.  It  is  only  the  most  important ; 
those  which  have  a  bearing  upon  practical  questions. 

I  have  avoided  as  much  as  possible,  a  discussion  of  points, 
which  are  purely  theoretical,  or,  which  appear  to  be  discon- 
nected with  questions  of  utility.      But  there  are  connexions 


XIV  mTEODUCTION,  . 

of  the  practical  with  the  theoretical,  whjch  it  is  important  we 
should  understand,  and  which  should  be  stated. 

Abroad,  where  the  opinions  of  men,  in  a  great  measure, 
must  be  formed  from  oral  or  written  reports,  it  is  necessary 
that  they  should  be  consistent  with  facts  and  the  commonly 
received  theories.  Consistency  of  theory  with  facts,  gives  a 
passport  to  descriptions,  especially  when  they  are  true  to 
nature. 

If  a  mineral  vein  is  described  in  language  which  is  equally 
applicable  to  a  trap  dyke,  a  belief  in  its  value  would  be  with- 
held, for  the  former  differs  essentially  from  the  latter  ;  or,  if 
the  products  of  a  mineral  vein  are  represented  as  uniform  in 
all  its  parts,  the  statement  would  be  disbelieved,  for  it  would 
be  contrary  to  experience.  The  circumstances  attending  the 
Ulling  of  vein  fissures  differ  from  those  which  attend  the  fill- 
ing of  a  fissure,  containing  only  trappean  matter. 

Every  newly  explored  geological  field  may  furnish  new 
matter,  and  may  also  bring  to  light  new  facts,  some  of  which 
may  be  extraordinary,  or  which  appear,  so  to  us,  because  they 
are  new ;  but  which  in  reality  do  not  conflict  with  the  known, 
Avhen  fully  investigated.  Thus,  the  facts  elicited  respecting 
the  coalfield  of  Deep  river,  present  many  new  facts.  It  had 
become  a  prevalent  belief,  that  the  workable  coal  seams  be- 
long mostly  to  the  epoch  termed  the  carboniferous  ',  an  epoch 
already  passed  when  the  rocks  of  Deep  river  were  deposited. 

It  was  also  maintained  that  coal  is  the  product  of  a  peculiar 
vegetation,  which  belonged  to  this  period,  and  ceased  to  exist 
with  it ;  and  hence,  it  was  not  to  be  expected  that  valuable 
seams  would  be  found  in  after  periods.  This  opinion  is  not 
sustained  by  the  facts  elicited  in  the  Deep  river  formation. 

It  appears  that  though  coal  is  a  vegetable  product,  it  is  not 
necessarily  the  product  of  a  particular  kind,  and  cannot  be 
formed  from  others  ;  neither  is  it  necessary  that  they  should 
grow  in  the  carboniferous  epoch  ;  for  the  plants  which  have 
become  coal  in  the  Deep  river  rocks,  differ  entirely  from 
those  of  the  carboniferous  rocks,  they  form  another  group  ; 
but  yet  they  perform  the  same  oifice.  There  is  really 
no  conflict  of  old  with  new  facts ;  the  conflict  is  with  the 


INTEODTJCTrON.  XV 

new  facts  and  old  opinions,  or  rather,  hasty  generaliza- 
tion. Geologists  erred  in  limiting  nature.  They  introduc- 
ed into  science  a  dogma,  which  she  repudiates.  Deep  river 
has  a  coalfield,  with  all  its  appurtenances.  They  are  as  large- 
ly developed  as  similar  ones  in  the  carboniferous  epoch.  Its 
iron  ores  in  all  their  varieties,  its  bituminous  slates  and  fine 
clays,  its  plant  beds,  etc.,  fully  attest,  that  the  epoch  is  enti- 
tled to  the  appellation,  carboniferous. 

The  statement  of  the  plain  facts  as  to  its  coal,  its  qualities, 
etc.,  required,  in  this  case,  a  full  elucidation  of  its  geology. 
1S.0  other  course  would  be  acceptable  to  a  large  class  of  read- 
ers. I  have,  therefore,  not  only  described,  with  much  mi- 
nuteness, the  beds  which  succeed  each  other,  but  have  de- 
scribed and  figured  the  organic  remains  which  are  found  in 
them. 

There  may  be  details  which  appear  unimportant  to  another 
class  of  readers  ;  but  they  are  requested  to  tolerate  them  for 
the  sake  of  another  party,  who  feel  some  interest  in  them, 
because  they  are  wishing  to  compare  this  series  or  formation 
with  another.  These  details  are  designed  to  advance  not 
only  economical  or  practical  geology,  but  theoretical  also. 

Among  the  purely  geological  questions  introduced  in  this 
Report,  there  is  one  which  relates  to  the  oldest  sediments. 
In  North-Carolina,  the  rocks  of  this  epoch  furnish  a  greater 
development  of  chert  and  porphyry,  than  the  equivalent  se- 
ries in  the  Northern  States ;  and  the  general  result  of  this 
peculiarity,  is  such,  as  to  obscure  their  relations,  or  rather  to 
take  from  them  the  distinct  lithological  evidence  of  the  epoch, 
to  which  they  undoubtedly  belong.  Indeed,  to  prove  that 
they  are  sediments  at  all,  required  a  series  of  observations, 
before  the  fact  could  be  established.  Accident  may  frequent- 
ly disclose  facts  almost  immediately  after  the  question  for  sO' 
lution  is  taken  in  hand ;  but  geologists  in  another  instance, 
may  seek  for  light  for  years,  upon  a  given  question,  before  they 
can  be  satisfied  respecting  the  ground  they  ought  to  take. 
The  discovery  of  fossils  in  Montgomery  county,  sets  the  ques- 
tion of  the  origin  of  the  rocks  referred  to,  at  rest ;  and  this 
discovery  is  important  geologically.     It  carries  down  the  ev- 


^f. 


XVI  INTRODUCTIOIS". 

idence  of  life  upon  the  globe  to  a  mucli  more  distant  epocli, 
than  geologists  had  ])Qen  led  to  believe.  Bj  this  discovery, 
it  appears  that  life  received  its  introduction  upon  the  globe 
in  the  earliest  or  oldest  of  the  sediments.  It  is  sometimes 
amusing  to  see  the  claim  set  up  with  an  obvious  feeling  of 
pride,  that  Korth-Carolina  has  the  highest  peak  east  of  the 
Eocky  mountain  range.  It  will  no  doubt  be  amusing  to 
others,  should  I  claim  for  l^orth-Carolina,  the  honor  of  being"- 
the  birth  place  of  the  oldest  inhabitants  of  this  globe.  The 
fossils  of  Montgomery  county,  to  which  I  refer,  and  to  which 
I  have  given  the  family  name,  Paljsoteochis,  or  old  messen- 
ger, are  quite  likely  to  prove  in  reality,  the  oldest  represen- 
tatives of  the  mysterious  principles,  life,  the  harbinger  of 
that  immortal  part  which  connects  man  with  the  celestials, 
and  who  does  not  feel  that  the  birth  place  of  life,  and  the 
birth  place  of  the  projenitor  of  our  race,  are  interesting  spots,  • 
and  quite  as  much  so,  as  the  highest  peak  of  the  Black 
mountain,  about  which  there  is  now  so  much  contention  by 
the  aspirants  for  fame. 

The  repositories  of  the  metals  form  a  most  important  sub- 
ject of  inquiry  in  this  State.  It  is '  here,  that  I  have  found 
unmistakable  evidence  that  gold  is  one  of  the  oldest  metals  of  " 
the  globe,  and  that  it  is,  also  a  sediment ;  facts  which  I  be- 
lieve, are  now  for  the  first  time,  established.  Mr.  Murchison, 
one  of  the  most  distinguished  European  geologists,  has  ex- 
pressed the  opinion,  that  it  is  of  recent  origin,  and  that  it  first 
appeared  at  the  surface,  during  the  tertiary  epoch.  The 
facts  disclosed  in  JSTorth-Carolina  show,  that  it  is  first  found  in 
the  oldest  primaries,  granites,  hornblende,  gneiss,  mica,  and 
talcose  slate.  From  the  debris  of  these  rocks,  it  is  first  trans- 
ferred to  the  sediments  of  the  Taconic  system,  where  it  is  as- 
sociated with  fossils.  Subsequently  it  again  appears  in  veins 
blended  with  sulphides  of  copper,  iron,  and  with  quartz.  It 
is  therefore,  a  product  of  the  earliest  pyrocrystalline  rocks, 
and  the  oldest  sediments  instead  of  the  newer. 

In  connection  with  the  subject  of  mineral  veins  or  reposi- 
tories of  the  ores,  the  question,  how  they  have  been  tilled,  I 
considered  worthy  of  a  discussion.     It  bears  directly  upon 


M 


INTRODUCTION.  Xvil 

their  permanence,  and  although  it  appears,  that  there  are 
many  phenomena  which  remain  unexplained,  still,  we  may 
be  assured,  that  the  forces  by  which  the  process  is  accom- 
plished, operated  within  the  earth's  crust,  and  that  true  veins 
were  not  filled  from  above.  The  most  indicative  of  all  the 
phenomena  attending  them,  point  to  sublimations  and  to  a 
source  of  material  existing  beneath ;  but  like  many  phenom- 
ena, it  would  be  unwise  to  construct  a  theory  which  looks 
only  to  a  single  class  of  causes  which  are  concerned  in  this 
process.  The  source  of  the  metals,  is  no  doubt  well  deter- 
mined ;  the  great  reservoir  is  the  interior  of  the  earth.  When 
they  are  found  in  beds  upon  the  surface,  or  bear  it  in  caves 
and  other  places  of  this  nature,  it  may  be  maintained,  that 
they  are  derived  from  broken  down  rocks  and  veins. 

I  have  described  some  of  the  most  important  and  produc- 
tive veins,  with  as  much  minuteness  as  the  nature  of  this 
Keport  will  admit.  I  have,  hov/ever,  passed  unnoticed,  ma- 
ny localities,  where  both  copper  and  gold  are  known  to  occur ; 
but  they  are  not  at  present  of  sufficient  importance  to  require 
attention,  though  I  am  sure  many  of  them  are  destined  to 
become  important,  when  better  plans  for  working  them  have 
been  devised,  and  better  roads  to  market  have  been  opened. 

A  subject  which  requires  a  few  words  of  explanation  in 
this  place,  is  the  reference  of  certain  rocks  to  the  Taconic 
system.  Of  this  system,  I  would  not  disguise  the  fact,  that 
there  exist  among  geologists  differences  of  opinion.  Some 
refer  the  series  to  the  Silurian  system.  I  doubt  very  much' 
however,  whether  any  geologist  would  be  willing,  after  an 
examination  of  this  series  in  Yirginia  and  North-Carolina,  to 
refer  them  to  the  latter,  especially,  as  they  are  developed 
east  of  the  Blue  ridge  ;  and  I  believe,  that  in  these  States, 
they  will  be  unanimous  in  their  opinions,  that  the  Silurian 
does  not  exist  in  territories  designated.  But,  there  seems  to 
be  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  some,  to  regard  the  Silurian 
as  extending  to  the  base  of  the  sediments.  They  would  ar-^ 
bitrarily  assign  all  the  lower  deposits  to  this  system ;  but  this 
course  is  certainly  as  unwise,  as  it  is  unscientific.    K  nature 


■■!*;" 


XVlll  INTEODUCTIOJSr. 

lias  made  a  distinct  boundary  between  tlie  lower  Silurian  and 
the  Taconic  systems,  it  should  be  recognized. 

At  the  present  time,  however,  certain  distinguished  geol- 
ogists are  satisfied  that  the  name  Silurian  does  not  cover  all 
the  older  sediments,  but  they  place  the  older  series  in  the 
Cambrean  system  of  Prof.  Sedgewick.  The  adoption  of  the 
latter  course,  evidently  indicates  progress :  it  is  an  admission 
of  a  great  fact,  that  we  have  both  sediments  and  fossils  below 
the  Silurian ;  yet,  the  Cambrian  system,  as  maintained  by  its 
author,  really  contains  a  part  of  what  American  geologists 
regard  as  lower  Silurian.  It  has  this  fault,  it  contains  too 
much.  This  fact  I  pointed  out  many  years  ago.  A  medium 
course  might  be  pursued.  The  lower  Silurian  as  developed 
in  this  country,  might  be  regarded  as  a  distinct. system,  and 
called  Cambrian.  The  lines  of  demarkation  are  strongly  de- 
fined. We  have  an  upper  horizon  between  the  Lorrain 
shales  and  sandstones  and  the  Shawangunk  grits  of  New 
York,  or  the  Medina  sandstone.  Below,  the  series  or  system 
is  distinctly  defined  by  the  base  of  the  Potsdam  sandstone, 
or  when  this  is  absent,  by  the  Calciferous  sandstone,  which 
rests  unconformably  upon  the  Taconic  series,  when  the  latter 
are  present. 

The  rocks  below  the  foregoing,  consist  of  slates,  limestones 
and  conglomerates,  none  of  which,  at  first,  were  supposed  to 
be  fossiliferous.  Now,  this  view  is  known  to  be  erroneous, 
but  all  the  fossils  yet  discovered,  diifer  specifically  from  those 
of  the  upper  and  lower  Silurian  series.  The  distinction  be- 
tween the  Taconic  system  and  Silurian,  is  much  more  strong- 
ly marked  than  it  is  between  the  Silurian  and  Devonian. 
There  can  be  but  little  doubt  respecting  the  propriety  of 
making  this  separation  I  have  proposed.  It  is  but  the  carry- 
ing out  of  those  principles  which  have  been  acted  upon  by 
Smith,  Maclure,  'de  Orbiny,  Sedwick  and  Murchison.  If 
these  distinguished  geologists  have  been  wrong,  respecting 
the  principles  which  should  govern  their  views  of  the  char- 
acteristics of  a  system,  it  is  time  to  abandon  them.  If  on  the 
contrary,  their  views  are  based  on  principles  which  commend 


INTRODUCTION.  '  XIX 

tliemselves  to  our  understandings,  let  them  be  followed. 
These  are  four  leading  facts,  which  go  far  towards  establish- 
ing the  Taconic  system.  8uper2)Osition  of  the  Silurian,  tm- 
co7iformability ,  sjMcifiG  differences  in  tJieorganio  remains,  and 
a  want  of  correllation  of  the  memhers  of  one  system  with  tht 
other.  Such  being  the  fact  with  respect  to  the  series  in  New 
York  and  Massachusetts,  and  such  too,  being  in  the  main,  the 
fact  in  North-Carolina,  it  is  proper  to  apply  the  same  name 
to  them  by  which  they  are  known  or  designated  in  the  for- 
mer States. 

It  is,  however,  time  to  drop  the  consideration  of  a  subject, 
which  cannot  directly  benefit  the  majority  of  the  readet's  of 
this  Report.  "We  may  profitably  turn  to  the  consideration  of 
some  of  the  results  which  must  necessarily  follow  from  the 
progress  already  made  in  the  development  of  the  resources 
of  the  State,  and  also  to  those  which  are  likely  to  follow :: 
First,  there  is  a  source  of  wealth  which  must  flow  directly 
from  local  discoveries ;  Second,  there  are  indirect  sources  of 
wealth  in  the  addition  of  dwellings  and  the  increase  of  in- 
habitants, which,  of  course,  increase  the  amount  of  taxable 
property.  The  agricultural  interest  cannot  fail  of  being 
prosperous,  when  manufacturing  villages  spring  up,  or  when 
a  mine  is  profitably  worked  ;  they  create  a  home  market  for 
the  surrounding  country.  But  North-Carolina  contains  those 
materials  which  elsewhere,  are  of  sufiicient  importance,  tc- 
build  up  large  towns  and  large  markets  ;  I  refer  to  her  coal 
and  iron,  and  when  we  take  into  the  account,  the  fact,  that 
both  are  of  a  superior  quality,  and  inexhaustible  in  quantity, 
it  is  evident  they  must  become  a  source  of  direct  revenue  and 
wealth,  both  to  individuals  and  to  the  State ;  to  the  latter  es^ 
pecially,  through  the  increase  of  taxable  property.  So  also, 
in  proportion  to  the  development,  the  North  will  become  in- 
debted to  North-Carolina,  because  the  North  is  her  market, 
and  hence  the  balance  of  trade  will  be  in  her  favor,  and 


Northern  exchange  will  cease  to  command  a  premium  at  he.t 
hands.  Such  are  some  of  the  legitimate  and  certain  results 
of  development  of  the  hitherto  hidden  resources.  I  cannot 
trace  them  out  through  all  the  ramifications. 


XX  INTRODUCTIOff, 

Suffice  it  to  say,  it  is  felt  in  the  rise  and  the  value  of  taxa- 
ble property ;  in  the  growth  of  manufacturing  towns,  the 
impulse  which  will  be  given  everywhere  to  agriculture,  the 
improvement  of  roads,  the  construction  of  railways,  by  which 
the  avenues  to  market  will  be  laid  open,  and  imparting 
thereby  an  efficient  stimulus  to  enterprise  throughout  th^i 
State. 


REPORT 


OP  THE 


KORTH-CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. 


PRELIMmARY  REMARKS: 

Theke  are  three  physical  conditions  of  a  country  which  pro- 
mote the  accumulation  of  wealth:  1.  The  existence  of  the 
raw  materials  out  of  which  the  mechanical  instruments  in 
civilized  life  are  made ;  2.  The  existence  of  the  powers  which 
are  necessary  to  aid  the  mechanic  in  their  construction,  and 
3.  Cheap  and  certain  means  to  convey  the  manufactured  ar- 
ticles and  natural  products  to  a  market. 

If  the  foregoing  statements  are  true,  then,  in  conducting  a 
geological  survey  of  a  country,  the  first  enquiries  should  be, 
What  materials  exist  within  its  bounds  which  may  be  con- 
verted into  useful  instruments  in  civilized  life?  Do  those 
materials  exist  in  sufficient  abundance  to  make  it  an  object 
to  explore  them  ?  And  are  there  water-powers  which  may  be 
employed  in  their  manufacture?  and,  lastly,  can  those  pro- 
ducts, either  natural  or  artificial,  be  taken  profitably  to  a 
market  ? 

In  regard  to  the  importance  of  making  enquiries  respect- 
ing the  existence  as  well  as  to  the  amount  of  raw  materials 
within  the  territory  of  a  State,  such  as  gold,  silver,  copper, 
iron,  etc.,  there  can  be  but  one  opinion ;  but  enquiries  rela- 
tive to  water-power  have  not  hitherto  been  regarded  as  of 
sufiicient  importance  to  occupy  the  attention  of  the  geologist. 
But,  inasmuch  as  this  power  is  a  source  of  wealth,  and,  more- 
over, as  it  depends  upon  the  geological  features  of  a  country, 
or,  in  other  words,  dependent  upon  the  operation  of  geologi- 


♦ 


2  NOKTH-CAEOLESrA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 

cal  causes,  it  slioiild  not  be  lost  sight  of  in  a  survey  whose  ob- 
ject is  to  make  known  the  natural  resources  of  a  State. 

Taking  it  for  granted,  then,  that  not  only  are  the  natural 
resources  of  a  country  .worthy  of  attention,  but  also  that 
which  is  necessary  to  convert  the  raw  materials  into  useful 
forms  almost  equally  so,  I  have,  in  accordance  with  this  view, 
made  the  existing  water-power  in  many  instances  a  subject 
of  special  attention.  The  propriety  of  these  enquiries  may 
be  made  still  more  apparent,  when  it  is  considered  that  even 
the  most  valuable  natural  products  may  abound,  but  for  the 
want  of  means  for  exploration  and  manufacture  they  really 
may  be  less  valuable  than  the  common  stones  of  a  field. 
There  may  be  neither  water-power  nor  fuel  for  exploration 
and  manufacture ;  and  being  in  the  interior  of  a  country, 
they  must  necessarily  remain  valueless  to  the  people  of  a 
State.  Xatural  products,  then,  are  valuable  in  proportion 
to  the  available  means  of  exploring  them.  We  wish,  then,  to 
know  the  associations  under  which  natural  products  occur,  in 
order  to  estimate  their  value  and  determine  the  bearing 
which  their  existence  may  exert  upon  the  prosperity  of  a 
State. 

Governed  by  these  views  with  respect  to  the  objects  and 
duties  of  the  survey,  I  propose  to  state,  in  the  first  place,  the 
facts  respecting  the  water-power  of  a  part  of  the  State  which 
has  thus  far  been  more  immodiatelv  under  examination — 
treating  it  as  an  auxilliary  power,  calculated  to  promote,  di- 
rectly, the  prosperity  and  wealth  of  the  State.  Water-power, 
it  is  admitted,  iu  a  country  like  that  of  ]S^orth-Carolina,  is  the 
cheapest  and  most  convenient  which  can  be  employed  for 
manufacturing  purposes,  and  is  preferable  to  steam,  as  it 
saves  an  immense  amount  of  fuel  and  timber  which  may  be 
required  for  other  purposes.  In  order  to  obtain  comprehen- 
sive views  of  the  water-power  of  the  State,  it  is  necessary,  in 
the  first  place,  to  direct  the  reader's  attention  to  the  topo- 
graphical features  of  the  State,  which  I  propose  to  give  very 
briefly  in  the  following  chapter.  It  is  only  upon  such  a  state- 
ment the  general  adaptation  of  the  country  to  certain  general 
purposes  can  be  understood. 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. 


OIIAPTEE  I. 

Natural  Divisions  of  the  State  /  the  Three  Parallel  Belts  or 
Zones ,'  the  Eastei'n,  Western  and  Midland  Lines  of  De- 
marlcation  'between  them — Cha/raoteristics  of  these  Zones, 
etc, 

§  1.  iN^orth-Carolina  is  naturally  divided  into  three  nearly 
parallel  belts.  The  eastern  lies  along  the  seaboard,  and  upon 
that  side  is  irregularly  indented  by  intrusions  of  the  sea  upon 
the  bordering  land,  but  is  more  prominently  characterized  by 
extensive  shallow  sounds  which  communicate  but  imperfect- 
ly with  the  ocean.  The  soil  of  this  belt  is  eminently  sandy, 
and,  along  the  coast,  is  subject  to  great  changes  both  by  the 
force  of  wind  and  water.  On  the  west,  this  belt  may  be  re- 
garded as  extending  as  far  inland  as  the  falls  of  the  Roanoke, 
at  Weldon,  and  the  Buckhorn,  on  the  Cape  Fear,  and  the  Yad- 
kin, near  the  Grassy  Isles.  A  waving  line  connecting  these 
points,  passing  near  Smithfield,  in  Johnston  county,  will 
mark  approximately  the  western  boundary  of  this  belt.  But 
this  western  boundary -line  is  nearly  as  irregular' as  the  coast- 
line itself.  In  the  immediate  neighborhood  of  Raleigh,  ma- 
rine products  are  distinctly  visible,  and  at  many  points  the 
sands  project  far  beyond  the  west  line  which  I  have  just 
marked  as  approximately  the  west  boundary-line.  This  zone 
is  flat  or  gently  rolling.  The  latter  seems  to  have  been  pro- 
duced by  the  action  of  waves  after  the  sea  had  become  shal- 
low. Near  the  coast,  this  flat  country  is  sixteen  feet  above 
storm  tides.  Notwithstanding  the  general  flatness  of  the 
lower  countr}'-,  the  Neuse,  near  Smithfield,  has  sufiicient 
fall  to  create  a  good  mill-site,  and  numerous  living  streams, 
rising  in  the  rolling  hills  composed  of  sand,  furnish  many 
small  mill-sites  which  are  of  considerable  importance  to  the 
country.  But  this  section  of  the  State  is  by  no  means  re- 
garded as  adapted  to  manufacturing  purposes  through  the 
the  aid  of  water-power,  and  hence  will  not  require  at  this 
time  further  notice. 


4  NOKTH-CAUOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUK\TCY. 

§  2.  The  midland  zone,  comprehending  the  midland  coun- 
ties, is  bounded  westwardlj-  by  a  line  wbicli  skii'ts  the  outliers 
of  the  Blue  Kidge.  In  these  outliers  I  place  the  Saratown, 
Pilot  and  Brushy  mountains.  The  Brushy  mountains  are 
situated  about  twelve  miles  east  of  Wilkesborough,  and  are 
prolonged  south-westwardly  through  Lincoln,  Rutherford  and 
Cleaveland  counties.  This  zone  is  hilly  in  all  parts  of  it,  but 
more  so  upon  its  western  borders.  The  direction  of  the  hills 
is  about  north  20°,  30°  east ;  hence  is  somewhat  variable  in 
different  parts  of  the  belt.  The  streams,  as  they  run  south- 
east, must  necessarily  intersect  this,  line,  and  in  some  instan- 
ces the  hills  or  ridges  deflect  the  streams  to  the  east,  by 
which  they  seek  a  pass  around  the  more  formidable  barriers, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Yadkin  in  traversing  Wilkes,  Surry  and 
Yadkin  counties. 

This  belt  is  usually  regarded  as  table-land,  inasmuch  as  its 
rise  is  only  in  a  moderate  degree,  when  its  breadth  is  taken 
into  account.  It  may  be  regarded,  too,  as  rising  in  a  series 
of  steps  till  it  reaches  the  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  Consider- 
ed as  a  gently  inclined  plane,  we  find  it  somewhat  broken  by 
the  transverse  ridges  already  spoken  of.  "When  the  rivers 
pass  these,  rapids  and  falls  are  created,  which  are  generally 
favorable  sites  for  manufacturing  purposes.  Those  streams, 
however,  which  are  deflected  by  the  more  formidable  bar- 
riers, and  which  are  nearly  land-locked  thereby,  become  nav- 
igable for  small  craft  high  up  towards  their  origin  in  the 
Blue  Ridge,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Yadkin,  Dan  and  Catawba, 
or  at  least  may  be  made  so  by  trifling  expenditures, 

§  3.  The  third  zone  or  belt  comprehends  the  western  and 
mountainous  parts  of  the  State.  "^  The  principal  rivers  of 
North-Carolina  rise  in  its  crest  or  its  numerous  spurs,  and  as 
this  region  is  elevated,  and  presents  an  extended  drainage 
surface,  the  supply  of  water  to  sustain  the  main  trunks  is 
abundant  and  never  failing.  This  drainage  slope  of  the  Blue 
Ridge  has  certain  peculiar  features  in  that  part  immediately 
adjacent  to  the  crest.  This  peculiarity  consists  in  the  com- 
parative steepness  of  the  ridge.  Thus  the  descent  is  four  or 
five  times  greater  than  upon  the  western  side.     The  descent 


north-cakolinj*  geological  survey.  5 

/ 

is  exceedingly  great.  Beginning  at  the  crest,  I  find  that  the 
greater  part  of  the  entire  fall  or  descent  to  the  ocean  is 
made  in  the  first  six  miles.  The  greater  steepness  of  the 
Blue  Ridge  on  the  east  side,  though  it  may  not  be  regarded 
as  an  anomaly,  yet  most  of  the  northern  part  of  the  ridge, 
the  west  and  north-west  side,  is  the  steepest.  It  might  be 
suspected,  from  this  fact,  that  the  dip  of  the  rocks  in  ITorth- 
Carolina  might  be  changed  from  south-east  to  north-west; 
but  this  is  not  the  case.  The  dip  is  still  to  the  south-east,  and 
preserves  the  same  characters  as  where  the  greatest  steep- 
ness is  upon  the  north-west  side.  The  rise  in  five  or  six  miles 
of  the  east  side  of  the  ridg-e  is  from  twelve  to  fifteen  hundred 
feet ;  about  one-half  of  the  ascent  from  the  sea  level  to  the 
lowest  passes  of  the  ridge  has  to  be  overcome  in  this  dis- 
tance. These  features  of  the  mountain  ranges  are  very  un- 
favorable to  the  construction  of  railways.  So,  also,  the  great 
inequality  of  the  steepness  of  the  south-east  and  north-west 
sides  is  a  serious  bar  to  the  tunneling  of  it;  for,  though  the 
east  side  may  be  approached  in  a  favorable  direction,  still  a 
tunnel"  must  pierce  the  ridge  only  a  few  hundred  feet  below, 
because  it  cannot  terminate  on  the  north-west  side  within 
any  reasonable  distance  from  the  summit,  on  account  of  the 
slight  descent  on  that  side ;  or,  in  other  words,  a  tunnel  can 
be  carried  in,  but  it  cannot  be  brought  out,  within  the  re- 
quired distance  from  the  top,  to  make  the  enterprise  of  much 
consequence  in  overcoming  the  high  grade  of  this  part  of  the 
ridge.  The  general  slope  of  the  country  is  indicated  by  the 
direction  of  the  rivers.  The  amount  of  the  slope  is  usually 
small  for  the  eastern  half  of  the  State.  From  Kaleigh  to 
.  Cape  Hatteras  it  is  between  one  hundred  and  eighty  aud  two 
hundred  miles.  The  slope  is  about  one  foot  to  a  mile.  The 
middle  zone  is  also  about  one  hundred  aud  eighty  miles  wide. 
The  descent  ig  about  ten  feet  to  the  mile,  or  not  far  from  this 
number.  As  the  attention  of  the  reader  will  be  directed  to 
the  midland  counties,  I  do  not  propose  to  detain  him  by  a 
detail  of  the  features  of  the  west.  The  farther  consideration 
of  the  subject  will  be  deferred  to  another  time.  Greensbo- 
rough  is  eight  hundred  and  forty-six  feet  above  tide.     The 


6  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOEOGICAL   SURVEY. 

summit  of  the  central  road  west  of  Greensborougli,  eight 
hundred  and  ninety-four.  The  summit  west  of  Deep  river, 
nine  hundred  and  fifty-three  feet  above  tide.  The  water  of 
Buffalo  creek  is  ten  hundred  and  twenty-three,  and  the  sum- 
mit between  the  Buffalo  and  Bull-run,  eleven  hundred  and 
twenty-five  feet  above  tide  at  Charleston. 

Taking  the  foregoing  levels  as  approximations  to  the  ag- 
gregate amount  in  feet  of  the  fall  of  the  principal  rivers 
which  traverse  the  State,  we  may  form  a  tolerably  correct 
estimate  of  the  water-23ower  which  they  are  capable  of  fur- 
nishing, or,  in  other  words,  that  the  midland  counties  are 
richly  furnished  with  this  important  element  of  wealth.  I 
am  now  prepared  to  enter  more  into  detail  respecting  the 
advantages  certain  localities  possess  for  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, i  shall  begin  with  the  western  rivers  of  the  midland 
district.. 


CHAPTEK  II. 

Tlie  Catawba — Its  Manufacturing  Sites — The  great  Horse- 
shoe Bend  and  Falls  in  its  mcinity. 

§  4.  The  Catawba  rises  in  the  south-western  flanks  of  the 
Blue  Ridge.  It  interlocks  with  the  French  Broad  and  Yad- 
kin, and  as  its  waters  are  collected  from  so  wide  an  expanse 
of  country,  it  becomes  an  important  river  when  it  has  reach- 
ed the  upper  table-lands  of  this  district.  It  is  confined  to 
narrow  valleys  by  the  spurs  of  the  Blue  Ridge ;  in  this  part 
of  its  course  its  current  is  not  so  rapid  as  the  streams  of  New 
England,  but  still  its  rapids  are  rather  numerous.  These  do 
not  always  afford  good  manufacturing  sites.  Its  system  of 
waters  is  composed  of  Broad  river,  Little  Catawba,  Linville 


;h 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  7 

river,  and  numerous  smaller  streams,  originating  in  spurs  of 
the  Blue  Eidge. 

The  most  important  section  of  the  main  trunk  of  this  river 
for  its  water  privileges,  are  situated  between  the  Tuckasege 
ford  and  the  great  Horse-shoe  bend,  some  six  or  seven  miles 
above  the  former.  In  this  limited  section,  the  most  impor- 
tant site  is  formed  bj  the  Horse-shoe  bend  itself. 

At  this  place  the  river  makes  a  circuit  of  twelve  miles,  ac- 
cording to  a  statement  made  by  persons  living  near  the 
place,  or  seven  or  eight,  according  to  the  statement  of  oth- 
ers. The  extremities  of;  this  bend  are  about  one  mile  apart, 
and  the  river  falls,  in  making  this  circuit,  thirty-two  feet,  or, 
as  stated  by  persons  at  a  distance,  only  twenty-seven-and-a- 
half  feet.  The  lower  extremity  of  this  bend  is  just  above  the 
new  bridge  for  the  plankroad  leading  from  Charlotte  to  Lin- 
colnton.  This  fall  may  be  made  available  for  manufacturing 
purposes  by  a  low  wing  dam  and  the  construction  of  a  race 
about  one  mile  long.  The  river  at  this  place  is  six  hundred 
feet  wide,  and  in  the  lowest  stages  carries  a  large  amount  of 
water.  The  water  is  sufficient  to  fill  a  race  one  hundred  feet 
wide,  four  feet  deep,  one  mile  long ;  the  advantages  being 
still  farther  increased,  from  the  circumstance  that  the  water 
may  be  used  twice  in  the  lower  half  of  the  race,  before  it 
escapes  into  the  river.  This  location  is  entirely  unoccupied, 
and  hence,  there  are  no  old  structures  or  other  incumbrances 
to  interfere  with  the  most  convenient  and  economical  use  of 
this  power.  The  advantages  of  this  location  are :  1.  The 
amount  of  power  afforded  by  the  river  ;  2.  Its  entire  safety 
and  freedom  from  the  danger  of  freshets ;  3.  Its  accessibility  ; 

4.  Its  good  building  sites,  whether  for  mills  or  dwellings ; 

5.  Its  healthfulness,  and  6.  Its  nearness  to  other  sites :  wdiich, 
when  their  advantages  are  combined  with  this,  hold  out  to 
capitalists  great  inducements  to  lay  out  a  manufacturing 
town,  upon  an  extensive  and  liberal  plan.  I  have  said  that 
this  location  must  be  exempt  from  loss  by  freshets.  In  high 
water,  the  surplus  will  find  its  way  around  the  great  bend, 
and  pass  entirely  around  the  structures  which  may  be  erected 
upon  the  race,  and  hence,  pass  harmlessly  away.    The  condi- 


8  NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY. 

tion  of  the  surface  along  the  race  and  its  vicinity  is  favorable 
also  to  a  most  advantageous  use  of  the  power  for  the  founda- 
tions of  buildings  for  machinery.  The  site  is  accessible,  and 
the  cost  for  the  construction  of  the  race  will  be  moderate, 
considering  the  great  advantages  which  will  be  secured. 

It  is  unnecessary  to  enter  into  details  respecting  the  ad- 
vantages which  would  necessarily  follow  from  the  occupatioi*' 
of  this  great  water-power  for  manufacturing  purposes.  Situ- 
ated as  it  is  in  a  healthy  region,  in  a  country  where  the  agri- 
cultural products  may  be  increased  indefinitely,  and  where, 
too,  steps  are  being  taken  to  construct  a  railway  to  an  impor- 
tant market  near  the  seaboard,  it  does  not  require  the  gift  of 
prophecy  to  foresee  that  the  foregoing  proposed  enterprise 
must  be  eminently  successful. 

The  climate  of  JSTorth-Carolina  is  well  adapted  to  the  man- 
ufacturing of  cotton  in  all  its  branches.  The  cost  of  main- 
taining laborers  is  much  less  than  in  I^ew  England.  Fuel  is 
plenty,  its  growth  rapid ;  and  into  whatever  channel  a  manu- 
facturing spirit  may  be  turned,  it  has  the  most  flattering  pros- 
pects of  success.  It  is  not  now  as  in  former  years,  when  ways 
to  market  were  unopened.  Then,,  the  utmost  which  could  be 
done,  was  confined  to  the  immediate  section  of  country  in 
which  they  were  located.  As  it  is,  this  home  market  will  be 
retained,  while  the  markets  upon  the  seaboard  may  be  com- 
peted for  with  every  reason  to  expect  success;  for  the  interior 
of  North-Carolina  can  manufacture  goods  cheaper  by  far 
than  Now  England  or  New  York.  Her  natural  advantages 
put  her  upon  vantage  ground,  and  it  only  requires  enterprize 
and  the  application  of  that  capital  which  she  now  has  invest- 
ed out  of  her  territory,  to  place  her  among  the  foremost  of 
the  manufacturing  States. 

In  addition  to  the  foregoing  position  already  alluded  to,  at 
the  great  bend,  the  river  still  falls,  and  creates  one  mile,  or  a 
mile-and-a-ha]f  below  the  bridge,  other  important  manufac- 
turing sites.  Both  sides  of  the  river  are  susceptible  of  great 
improvements.  The  west  side  is  already  profitably  occupied 
in  part  by  Mr.  Tate.  The  opposite  side,  which,  though  not 
so  convenient  for  taking  out  the  water,  may  still  be  used  by 


NOKTH-CAEOLrNA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY.  9 

erecting  suitable  wing  dams.  These  positions  have  more  im- 
portance, from  being  in  the  vicinity  of  the  power  furnished 
by  the  great  Horse-shoe  bend,  inasmuch  as  advantages  are 
secured  by  proximity  in  manufacturing  enterprises.  There 
is  a  mutual  advantage  accruing,  by  the  multiplication  of  mills 
in  the  neighborhood  ol  each  other.  It  is  something  to  wit- 
ness what  our  neigbors  are  doing ;  to  see  their  improvements, 
and  to  obtain  advice  and  assistance.  But  for  repairs  and  the 
manufacture  of  machinery  of  all  kinds,  proximity  secures  the 
necessary  mechanics  for  the  many  purposes  for  which  their 
skill  and  experience  are  required.  There  is,  therefore,  in  man- 
ufacturing towns,  a  concentration  of  skill  and  experience 
which  may  be  relied  U23on,  in  cases  of  necessity.  It  saves 
the  delays  incident  to  those  cases  where  all  dependence  is 
placed  upon  mechanics  who  are  located  at  distant  places. 
The  falls  below  the  great  bend,  the  site  of  Mr,  Tate's  factory, 
is  known  as  Mountain  Island,  as  the  river  is  divided  at  this 
place  by  a  high  island.  The  fall  here  is  twenty-two  feet,  suffi- 
cient to  secure  the  most  important  advantages  to  such  manu- 
facturing establishments  as  its  favorable  position  may  de- 
mand. ^^ 

If  the  Wilmington  and  Charlotte  road  should  be  construct- 
ed and  prolonged  to  Rutherfordton  or  Lincolnton,  it  will 
probably  cross  the  Catawba  at  the  Tuckasege  ford,  six  miles 
below  the  great  bend.  This  is  now  supposed  to  be  the  most 
favorable  point  for  "crossing.  From  this  ford  the  river  may 
be  made  navigable  by  locks  and  dams  far  up  the  river  above 
the  great  bend.  Such  an  improvement  would  connect  the 
rich  deposits  of  iron  in  Lincoln  county  with  river  navigation. 
This  iron  belt  crosses  the  river  just  above  Sherrill's  ford.  I 
may  not,  however,  possess  sufficient  information  respecting 
the  improvements  alluded  to,  to  entitle  me  to  an  expression 
of  an  opinion,  either  of  the  positition,  feasibility  of  the  un- 
dertaking, or  of  its  use,  provided  it  were  once  completed.  I 
have  little  doubt,  however,  of  the  practicability  of  improving 
the  river,  as  it  was  proposed  many  years  ago.  At  the  same 
time,  other  modes  than  those  of  locks  and  dams  may  be  found 


10  NOETH-CAEOLIKA.   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

better  adapted  to  connect  the  important  points  wMcli  have 
been  under  consideration,  with  each  other.- 

Perhaps  I  have  dwelt  too  long  on  the  importance  of  the 
great  bend  as  a  manufacturing  site.  The  ways  and  means  for 
communicating  with  this  place  have  been  greatly  improved 
in  a  few  years.  It  only  requires  enterprise  and  the  invest- 
ment of  capital  at  this  point  and  its  vicinity  to  create  an  en- 
tirely new  state  of  things  in  this  part  of  the  State ;  a  new 
opening  to  prosperity  and  wealth,  by  the  simple  use  of  those 
natural  advantages,  which  are  now  lying  unimproved.  It  is 
by  no  means  an  extravagant  expectation  that  this  place  will, 
at  no  very  distant  day,  sustain  ten  thousand  inhabitants,  who 
will  be  engaged  mainly  in  manufactures.  Honor  to  the  man 
who  dares  lead  in  an  enterprise  so  important.  His  name 
would  stand  beside  the  Lawrences  of  the  old  Bay  State,  who 
not  only  became,  by  their  enterprise,  rich  themselves,  but 
opened  the  way  for  thousands  also  to  enter  upon  a  path  of 
prosperity  and  wealth. 

§  5.  The  south  or  Little  Catawba,  though  carrying  much 
less  water  than  the  Great  Catawba,  may  be  regarded  as  upon 
the  whole,  the  most  important  manufacturing  river.  Its 
shoals  are  numerous  and  accessible,  and  the  aggregate  amount 
of  water-power  is  immense.  Of  these  shoals  and  rapids,  the 
High  Shoal  is  the  most  important  and  valuable.  The  fall  is 
twenty-three  feet  over  a  ledge  of  gneiss.  This  site  has  prob- 
ably no  equal  in  the  State  for  convenience  and  safety,  unless 
it  is  the  one  upon  the  South  Yadkin,  which  is  owned  by  the 
Hon.  Charles  Fisher.  Its  capacity  is  not  so  great  as  that 
formed  by  the  great  bend  already  described.  It  cannot,  of 
course,  be  compared  with  the  latter,  as  to  its  capacity  and 
power ;  but,  considering  the  small  capital  it  requires  for  using 
it,  the  height  of  the  fall,  and  its  accessibility,  and  the  mineral 
property  in  immediate  proximity  to  it ;  it  certainly  becomes 
one  of  the  most  valuable  in  JSTorth- Carolina,  as  I  have  already 
stated.  So  also  it  is  safe,  as  no  risk  is  incurred  in  building, 
so  far  as  freshets  are  concerned,  or  need  not,  as  the  water  is 
taken  out  at  a  point  above,  which  secures  all  the  buildings 
from  danger.    The  High  Shoal  property  contains,  beside  the 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  11 

fall,  about  ten  square  miles  of  land,  upon  whicli  there  are  sev-  * 

eral  iron  mines,  as  well  as  gold  and  copper  mines.  For- 
merly, iron  of  the  best  quality  was  manufactured  here.  It 
could  not,  however,  furnish  it,  except  for  home  consumption. 
The  iron  ore  is  inexhaustable,  but  is  not  at  present  sought 
for,  the  company  being  engaged  in  working  their  gold  mines, 
though  not  at  a  profit.  The  ore  is  the  magnetic  oxide,  and  is 
easily  wrought,  and  makes  a  remarkably  tough  iron,  being 
adapted  to  nail  plates ;  and  nails  which  were  formerly  manu- 

**•  factured  here  on  a  small  scale,  obtained  a  high  reputation  for 
toughness.  This  location  being  occupied  and  well  known, 
requires  no  farther  notice  in  this  place..    Should  the  Wil- 

•'    mincjton  and  Charlotte  road  be  constructed,  it  will  necessa- 
■  rily  pass  in  its  immediate  vicinity,  and  hence  increase  its  im- 
portance as  a  manufacturing  site. 

Below  Lincolnton  there  are  ten  or  eleven  mill-sites  which 
are  adapted  to  manufacturing  purposes — some  of  which  pos- 
sess remarkable  advantages  and  are  still  unoccujoied.  They 
are  situated  along  the  river  for  twelve  or  fifteen  miles.  They 
vary  in  the  amount  of  fall* from  seven  to  twenty-three  feet, 
rarely,  however,  less  than  nine  feet.  To  form  an  estimate  of 
♦.the  capacity  of  this  branch  of  the  Catawba,  I  may  compare  it 
with  a  well-known  stream,  the  Hoosick  river,  in  Berkshire, 
Massachusetts.  This  river,  in  the  upper  part  of  its  course, 
including  that  part  of  it  between  Cheshire  and  E"orth  Adams, 
and  embracing  a  branch  which  comes  from  the  Hoosick 
mountain,  and  which  joins  the  Cheshire  branch  at  North 
Adams,  supplies  power  for  moving  thirty  large  mills,  most  of 
which  manufacture  cotton.  The  Hoosick,  at  Adams,  is 
about  half  the  size  of  the  Little  Catawba;  yet  it  furnishes 
a  power  equivalent  for  turning  500,000  spindles,  in  a  space 
of  about  twelve  miles ;  and  at  the  same  time,  there  is  no  sin- 
gle location  which  can  compare  with  the  High  Shoals  of  the 
Little  Catawba.  L-on,  calico,  satinetts  and  woollens  are 
manufactured,  giving  employment  to  between  3000  and  4000 
individuals,  and  making  an  important  market  for  this  part  of 
the  country.  The  Little  Catawba  can  furnish  twice  the 
power  in  the  same  distance,  and  employ  10,000  persons,  and 


12  NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    STJKVEY, 

create  thereby  a  liome  market  for  tlie  produce  of  all  of  thia 
part  of  the  country.  i 

Should  the  manufacturing  capacity  of  this  section  of  coun- 
try be  filled,  it  would  become  one  of  the  most  populous  parts 
of  the  State.  The  different  branches  of  industry  would  sus- 
tain each  other,  while  there  would  be  at  the  same  time  an 
accumulation  of  wealth  from  the  use  of  powers  now  lying 
dormant. 

It  is  by  these  instrumentalities  that  public  improvements, 
such  as  railways  and  canals,  are  sustained,  and  the  facilities 
of  travel,  transportation  and  intercourse  promoted ;  all  of 
which  are  more  or  less  mutually  dependent  upon  each  other. 

I  cannot,  at  the  present  time,  make  a  full  estimate  of  the 
capacity  of  the  water-power  in  Lincoln,  G-aston  and  Catawba 
counties.  Enough  has  been  said  to  show  its  importance  and 
call  the  attention  of  capitalists  to  a  field  which  promises  so 
Jnuchto  enterprize  and  investment  of  capital.  Its  impor- 
tance will  only  be  discovered  by  the  progress  of  the  several 
distinct  interests  which  exist  in  this  section  of  the  State ;  for 
tlie  iron  and  other  minino;  interests  no  doubt  will  become 
very  important,  inasmuch  as  the  raw  material  is  abundant. 
So  also,  I  find  numerous  materials  required  in  their  manu- 
facture, as  glass,  clays  for  fine  brick  and  potteiy,  etc. 

§  6.  The  Yadkin  is  another  stream  which  rises  upon  the 
flanks  of  the  Blue  Ridge,  and  vv^hich  runs  a  course  of  three 
hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  the  State,  including  its  windings. 
It  leaves  it  in  Richmond  county,  a  large  river,  with  water 
sufficient  for  the  lars^est  class  of  steamers.  In  its  course  it 
forms  several  most  important  sites  for  manufacturing  towns. 
Its  system  of  waters  embraces  Uwharrie,  the  South  Yadkin, 
Abbot's .  creek.  Swearing  creek,  Dutchman's  and  Muddy 
creek,  and  numerous  other  streams  which  interlock  with  the 
Dan,  New  and  Catawba  rivers.  The  main  trunk  of  the 
Yadkin  furnishes  water  which  may  be  employed  for  manu- 
factures and  for  navigation.  The  Narrows  present  an  ob- 
struction to  its  complete  navigation,  which  cannot  be  over- 
come. From  a  point  five  miles  above  the  Narrows,  plans  for 
making  it  navigable  to  Wilkesborough,  have  been  proposed, 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  13 

and  the  enterprize  is  no  doubt  a  feasible  one.  Above  Wilkes- 
borongh,  the  Yadkin  with  its  numerous  branches  furnishes 
numerous  water-powers,  some  of  which  are  employed  in 
flouring  grain  and  sawing  timber.  The  country  drained  and 
watered  by  the  Yadkin,  is  adapted  to  wheat  and  corn,  and 
might  also  become  a  fine  grazing  country,  if  the  attention  of 
people  were  once  directed  to  this  branch  of  industry.  Sheep 
and  cattle  would  thrive  well  on  the  hills  of  Wilkes,  Surry, 
Ashe,  Davie  and  Yadkin. 

As  it  regards  sites  for  manufacturing  towns,  two  seem  to 
be  quite  prominent.  The  first  is  at  the  Ti'ading  ford,  near 
the  great  railway  bridge  of  the  Central  road.  Something  has 
been  attempted  here,  but  conflicting  claims  respecting  the 
use  of  the  power  on  different  sides  of  the  river  prevent,  at 
present,  the  completion  of  v/orks  which  have  been  begun  by 
parties,  competent  to  carry  them  out,  and  into  successful  ope- 
ration. Thus,  unforeseen  difiiculties  have  brought  to  an  end, 
for  the  present,  the  improvements  at  this  place.  The  shoals 
and  rapids  of  Yadkin,  below  this  point  and  above  the  Nar- 
rows, are  in  part  occupied,  but  there  is  always  a  great  sur- 
plus of  water  which  is  unemployed  in  the  lowest  stages  of 
the  river. 

Milledgeville,  five  miles  above  the  Narrows,  and  one-and-a- 
half  miles  below  Stokes'  ferry,  is  probably  one  of  the  most 
important  of  the  manufacturing  sites  upon  the  river ;  or 
may  become  so.  On  the  west  side  of  the  river  there  is  a 
flouring  establishment.  This  side,  however,  is  too  much 
hemmed  in  by  the  hills  ,to  admit  of  its  growth  into  a  manu-  , 
■  facturing  village,  though  there  is  an  abundance  of  water. 
On  the  east  or  Milledgeville  side,  there  is  room  for  a  wide 
race  way  and  the  erection  of  buildings  for  machinery.  There 
is  a  fall  of  thirteen  feet  in  four  thousand,  not  including  a 
rapid  at  the  head  of  the  fall,  which  has  been  used  for  a  card- 
ing machine,  but  which  is,  itself,  quite  sufiicient  for  a  large 
factory.  The  middle,  or  one  hundred  feet  of  the  river,  is  re- 
served as  a  public  sluice  for  the  benefit  of  the  fishing  in- 
terest. But  sufiicient  water  may  be  controlled  by  a  wing- 
dam  for  a  race  eighty  feet  wide,  and  carrying  :^ur  feet  of 


14  NORTH-CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

water.  This  race  may  extend  three-quarters  of  a  mile,  and 
distribute  its  waters  at  intervals  convenient  for  the  mills  re- 
quired. Milledgeville  is  accessible,  and  the  banks  of  the 
river  being  low,  they  present  no  obstacles  to  a  good  road. 
Indeed,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  river  may  be  improved 
from  Stokes'  ferry  to  Wilkesborough,  by  which  the  means 
for  sustaining  the  manufacturing  interests  will  be  greatly  in- 
creased. 

One  mile  below  Milledgeville,  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Davis 
furnishes  another  equally  valuable  site  for  manufacturing. 
It  is  entirely  unoccupied.  The  fall  which  is  available  is 
about  thirteen  feet,  and  the  water  can  be  disposed  of  in  a 
race  which  will  be  free  from  danger  in  freshets.  The  situa- 
tion of  these  two  points,  within  a  mile  of  each  other,  in- 
creases the  relative  value  of  each,  and  increases  also  the  in- 
ducements to  use  these  naturel  powers  tor  manufacturing 
purposes. 

At  Mrs.  Locks,  at  the  head  of  the  Narrows  upon  the  west 
side,  there  is  another  unoccupied  water-power.  There  is, 
however,  a  want  of  space  for  a  large  establishment.  The 
Yadkin  falls  rapidly  in  its  passage  through  the  IST arrows,  and 
its  channel  is  narrow  and  exceedingly  rocky.  Fish  do  not 
attempt  to  ascend  it  during  the  night. 

§  7.  The  South  Yadkin  is  one  of  its  principal  branches. 
It  joins  the  Yadkin  in  Davie  county.  It  is  analogous  to  the 
Little  Catawba,  and  like  that,  has  a  very  important  water- 
power  some  five  or  six  miles  above  its  junction.  This  branch 
is  navigable  to  the  falls  and  about  twelve  miles  above  them. 
The  actual  descent  or  fall  is  twenty-two  feet.  This  mill  site 
becomes  important  both  from  the  amount  of  water  which 
may  be  employed,  and  the  quantity  of  iron  ore  in  its  imme- 
diate vicinity,  and  its  easy  access  by  land  and  water.  In  cer- 
tain respects,  this  fall  has  advantages  over  others;  those  par- 
ticularly which  have  been  enumerated.  Both  sides  are 
adapted  to  use,  and  hence  its  full  power  may  be  employed. 
We  can  scarcely  estimate  the  advantages  which  would  be 
conferred  upon  this  part  of  the  State  by  the  occupation  of 
this  power  for  manufacturing  purposes.     It  has  all  the  advan- 


NORTH- CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  16 

tages  of  the  great  bend  so  far  as  clieapness  of  living  is  con- 
cerned, being  situated  in  a  fine  agricultural  region. 

§  8.  The  water  system  of  the  Cape  Fear  embraces  the 
Haw,  Deep  river,  ISTew  Hope  and  Little  river,  with  many- 
smaller  streams  which  are  its  tributaries — principally  to  the 
two  first  named.  The  Haw  is  the  largest  of  the  two,  and  is 
the  most  tumultuous  stream,  and  furnishes  the  largest  amount 
of  water-power.  Deep  river  is  tortuous  and  sluggish  up  as 
far  as  Hancock's  mills,  where  it  becomes  a  more  rapid 
stream,  and  hence  it  furnishes  several  important  water-pow- 
ers through  its  whole  course.  The  tributaries  of  the  Cape 
Fear  are  large  below  Fayetteville.  For  manufacturing  pur- 
poses, it  will  be  conceded  that  the  Haw  and  Deep  rivers  are 
the  most  important.  The  Haw,  for  example,  has  twenty  mill 
sites  in  about  sixty  miles.  These  are  important,  because  the 
greater  part  of  the  country  through  which  it  passes  is  well 
adapted  to  the  growth  of  the  cereals.  The  first,  two  miles 
above  Haywood,  has  a  fall  of  ten  feet.  As  the  volume  of 
water  is  large,  and  inasmuch  too  as  it  can  be  controlled  to 
advantage,  and  as  the  river  will  be  boatable  as  far  as  the  site, 
it  acquires  very  considerable  importance.  At  the  present 
time  it  is  only  occupied  by  a  rickety  mill,  which  might  very 
well  give  place  to  something  of  greater  importance.  A  mill 
site  is  formed  every  three  miles  in  the  sixty  miles  alluded  to, 
and  none  of  them  are  fully  occupied.  From  Haywood  to 
Wentworth,  in  Rockingham  county,  this  river  is  truly  a  man- 
ufacturing stream.  The  country  through  which  it  flows  is 
not  so  rich  in  minerals,  but  cotton  and  wheat  are  the  staples 
of  the  lower  half  of  its  course,  and  tobacco  the  upper.  The 
lowest  fall  is  one  of  large  capacity ;  and  is,  at  least,  equal  to 
that  required  to  turn  25,000  spindles ;  while  the  aggregate 
capacity  of  the  Haw  is  equal  to  that  which  may  be  required 
to  turn  500,000  spindles. 

It  is  impossible  to  calculate  the  capacity  of  Deep  river  for 
manufacturing  purposes.  It  is  supj)osed  that  there  will  be  a 
large  surplus  of  water,  which  may  be  thus  employed,  at  each 
of  the  dams  constructed  for  the  improvement  of  its  naviga- 
tion.     Jones'  falls  is  one  of  the  most  important  upon  the 


16  NOETH-CAROLmA    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

river.  The  fall  in  three  thousand  is  twenty-four  feet.  It  haa 
been  calculated  that  the  discharge  of  water  below  the  falls  is 
equal  to  forty-four  hundred  and  eighty-two  cubic  feet  per 
minute,  an  amount  which  is  said  to  be  considerably  less  than 
that  above  the  falls,  owing  to  a  loss  from  evaporating. 

Several  water-powers  have  been  occupied  in  part  for  many 
years  in  the  vicinitj^  of  Franklinsville.  In  this  part  of  the 
river  there  are  six  mill  sites  in  a  distance  of  about  six  miles. 
The  whole  capacity  of  these  sites  is  equal  to  that  required  to 
turn  30,000  spindles  during  the  lowest  stages  of  water. 

The  Cape  Fear  has  two  well  known  falls ;  the  Buckhorn 
and  Smiley's.  The  first  falls  fourteen  feet  in  two  stages. 
The  supply  of  water  is  sufficient  to  meet  all  the  wants  of 
navigation,  and  furnish  a  large  surplus  for  mills.  The  river 
at  Smiley's,  falls  thirty  feet  in  three  miles. 

New  Hope,  v*?^hich  fails  into  the  Haw  two  miles  above  the 
bridge  at  Haywood,  is  a  sluggish  stream  in  all  the  lower  part, 
yet  it  has  two  mill  sites  of  considerable  importance. 

There  are  several  other  tributaries  of  the  Haw,  which  fur- 
nish good  sites  for  mills :  Back,  Sellers  and  Kane  creeks  are 
mill  streams  of  some  importance.  The  latter,  in  Alamance 
county,  is  a  valuable  stream  for  country  mills,  and  for  small 
manufacturing  establishments. 

§  9.  I  shall  not  attempt  to  give,  at  this  time,  any  statement 
respecting  the  water-power  of  the  Neuse,  Dan,  Roanoke  or 
Tar  rivers;  inasmuch  as  I  have  not  obtained  that  local  and 
specific  information  respecting  them,  which  the  subject  de- 
mands. In  general,  however,  it  may  be  observed  that  their 
descent  within  the  bounds  of  the  State  does  not  difi"er  from 
that  of  the  Yadkin  and  Cape  Fear ;  and  if  so,  they  probably 
furnish  an  equal  amount  of  water-power,  and  an  equal  num- 
ber of  sites  adapted  to  manufacturing  purposes.  The  falls  of 
the  Roanoke,  at  VVeldon,  furnish  a  large  water-power,  in  part 
occupied;  but  capable  of  moving-a  much  greater  amount  of 
machinery,  should  not  be  passed  over  unnoticed.  The  place 
itself  is  the  most  accessible  one  in  the  State;  and  hence,  with 
its  valuable  water-power,  it  seems  that  ere  long  measures  will 
be  taken  to  use  its  advantages  upon  a  much  larget  scale  than 
they  are  at  present. 


NOKTH'CAROLmA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY,  17 

§  10.  In  the  foregoing  remarks,  my  object  has  been  to  di- 
rect the  attention  of  capitalists  to  the  subject;  and  I  have 
mentioned  certain  points  wliich  are  especially  deserving  of 
attention.  When  the  whole  field  is  brought  under  view,  all 
must  admit  that  this  most  important  power  is  distributed 
over  the  midland  counties  in  such  a  way  as  to  give  each  sec- 
tion a  participation  in  all  those  advantages  which  a  power  of 
this  kind  is  capable  of  conferring.  While  the  rivers  and 
their  tributaries  water  the  soil  and  render  it  productive,  they 
still  furnish  a  surplus  not  only  for  the  every  day  wants  of  man 
to  prepare  his  lumber  and  grind  his  grain  for  domestic  pur- 
poses, but  enough  also  for  manufacturing  the  cotton  and  the 
ores  for  a  home  or  a  distant  market.  The  immediate  wants 
of  a  neighborhood  may  be  supplied,  and  enough  left  to  be 
used  for  a  more  public  purpose,  which  will  bring  a  current  of 
wealth  and  prosperity  from  abroad.  An  inspection  of  a  map 
shows  a  very  advantageous  distribution  of  the  rivers  of  l^orth- 
Carolina.  East  of  the  Blue  liidge  it  is  traversed  obliquely 
by  seven  large  rivers,  all  of  which  interlock  with  each  other. 
Their  course  secui"es  to  each  section  through  which  they  fiow 
a  great  supply  for  vegetation.  Even  the  hilly  and  moun- 
tainous 'New  England,  cannot  claim  a  larger  and  more  ad- 
vantageous supply  for  the  promotion  of  agriculture  and  the 
arts.  New  England  has  not  suffered  her  advantages  to  go  to 
waste.  ISTorth-Carolina  has  been  too  quiet  and  too  indifferent 
to  her  natural  advantages.  But  the  time  of  her  indifference 
lias  past.  Already  experience  has  demonstrated  that  her 
public  works,  undertaken  mainly  by  the  State,  secures  those 
advantages  which  tell  strongly  upon  the  prosperity  of  the 
midland  counties. 

Experience  sets  right  the  public  sentiment,  and  in  begin- 
ning a  system  of  improvement,  founded  upon  natural  advan- 
tages, it  only  requires  time  for  their  development,  in  order  to 
secure  a  favorable  expression  of  public  opinion. 

Tlie  principle  end  in  view  must  always  be  a  market  for  the 
surplus  productions.     A  road  to  a  market  not  only  encour- 
ages the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  but  the  development  and  use 
of  the  water-power  of  the  country.     If  the  cereals  can  be 
2 


18  NOKTH-CAKOLIKrA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


groTind  and  prepared  for  market  at  home,  it  is  better  than  to 
send  them  abroad.  If  cotton  can  be  manufactured  at  home, 
the  profits  of  labor  are  retained,  and  the  productive  property 
within  the  State  increased  thereby. 

It  is  to  those  sections  of  the  State  which  are  supphed  with 
means  and  instruments,  that  these  observations  apply. 

To  one  who  has  been  familiar  with  the  disadvantages  of  a 
New  England  soil  and  climate,  and  who  has  witnessed  the 
disappearance  of  formidable  obstacles  in  prosecuting  exten- 
sive public  or  private  works  by  the  force  of  the  will,  it  will 
not  seem  strange  that  he  should  look  with  surprise  on  the  lit- 
tle progress  which  a  people  under  a  better  sun,  with  a  better 
soil,  and  numerous  natural  advantages  to  encourage,  have 
made  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century.  When,  however,  a 
single  public  or  private  enterprise  has  been  j)rosecuted  to  a 
successful  termination,  confidence  is  increased  and  timidity  di- 
minished. Every  successful  enterprise  multiplies  the  friends 
of  enterprise,  and  the  results  are  being  seen  in  the  growth  of 
villages,  the  erection  of  a  better  class  of  dwellings,  and  the 
jcirculation  of  money.   , 


CHAPTEK  in. 

Elementary  facts  and  principles  respecting  the  Igne&us  or 
Pyrocrystalline  JRochs. 

§  11.  It  is  no  doubt  proper  that  a  geological  report  should 
be  restricted  mainly  to  the  communication  of  such  facts  and 
observations  as  relate  to  the  objects  of  the  survey.  It  cannot 
be  expected  that  it  will  be  devoted  to  the  teaching  of  ele- 
mentary geology ;  but  it  may  be  necessary,  where  peculiari- 
ties exist  in  the  structure  of  the  rocks,  to  place  immediately 


NOETH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  19 

before  tlie  reader  a  brief  statement  of  the  elements  or  prin- 
ciples of  tlie  science ;  besides,  it  will  be  found  that  certain 
conclusions  wliicli  I  have  arrived  at  will  be  better  under- 
stood, by  first  placing  before  the  reader  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant of  the  elements  of  geology,  than  they  can  bo  by 
their  omission. 

§  12.  All  that  is  important,  or  is  worth  knowing  in  geoht- 
gy,  has  been  obtained  by  observation ;  it  has  been  worked 
out  by  hard  labor  in  the  field. 

In  this  way,  and  by  the  aid  also  of  principles  and  axioms 
which  are  universally  received,  and  among  which  we  may 
place  the  following,  viz.,  that  like  causes  produce  like  efiects, 
geologists  have  arrived  at  certain  conclusions  respecting  tht; 
origin  of  rocks,  as  well  as  to  the  interpretation  of  certain 
phenomena,  and  the  agents  also  which  have  left  their  impres- 
sion upon  the  accessible  parts  of  the  earth's  crust.  Of  the 
agents  which  have  left  their  marks  upon  the  earth's  crust,  it 
is  universally  admitted  that  jire  and  water  are  the  most  gen- 
eral and  important.  Their  marks  are  seen  in  the  phenomena 
.  of  each  respective  class,  and  known  to  be  those  which  are 
fitting  and  agreeable  to  the  efii'ects  which  we  see  every  day 
to  belong  to  them.  In  the  order  of  time  the  former  stands 
first ;  but  its  agency  must  still  be  recognized.  Assuming  a 
very  common  opinion  as  true,  that  the  earth  has  been  an  ig- 
nited mass,  we  shall  not  be  unwilling  to  admit  the  conclusion 
that  its  agency  has  become  much  less,  and  that  the  marks 
which  it  now  leaves  upon  the  earth's  crust  are  much  more 
limited,  than  in  the  ancient  periods  of  its  history. 

If  the  foregoing  is  true,  water  stands  second  in  the  order 
of  time ;  but  it  also  acquired  its  acme  of  power  in  the  early 
periods,,  and  is  thia  day  as  influential  in  its  proper  sphere  as 
ever;  but  in  its  common  every  day  movements  its  opera- 
tions are  slow  and  scarcely  perceptible. 

§  13.  These  agents  have  given  origin  to  two  classes  of 
rocks,  which  are  known  under  the  general  apellations  the  ig- 
neous and  the  aqueous,  each  ot  which  may  be  separated  into 
subordinate  kinds.  In  the  igneous  rocks,  structure,  or  the 
peculiar  arrangement  of  the  parts  composing  the  mass,  fonns 


20  NOETS-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

the  basis  upon  which  the  division  is  made.  It  appears  that, 
notwithstanding  the  fact  that  heat  acts  npon  bodies  uni- 
formly, still  the  results  are  not  uniform,  because  the  circum- 
stances which  attend  the  cooling  of  the  heated  mass  are  not 
uniform.  But  as  I  have  not  time  or  space  to  make  a  full  ex- 
planation of  these  varied  results,  I  proceed  at  once  to  give 
the  subordinate  divisions  to  which  I  hav§  referred.  Igneous 
rocks,  then,  are  divided  into  two  general  sections:  1.  Those 
whose  structure  is  distinctly  cr3^stalline  throughout,  as  granite, 
sienite,  gneiss,  mica  slate,  hornblende,  etc.;  2.  Those  whose 
structure  is  massive,  or  earthy  and  compact,  or  which  con- 
tain in  a  compact  base  a  few  chrystaline  particles,  and  is  also 
vesicular,  and  may  pass  into  incoherent  particles.  This  sec- 
tion embraces  the  basalts,  greenstone,  porphyry,  lava,  volca- 
nic ashes,  etc. 

Each  of  these  sections,  however,  may  be  subdivided ;  thus, 
the  section  comprehending  the  granites  and  gneiss,  and  which 
have  been  called  pyrocrystalline^  are  farther  subdivided  into 
the  Tuassive  pyrocrystalline,  and  the  laminated  pyrocrystal- 
line  rocks ;  their  crystallization  being  produced  by  fire,  but 
having  operated  under  different  circumstance.s,  has  imparted 
to  the  rock  a  massive  structure,  and  in  another  case  a  lami- 
nated one,  like  that  of  gneiss  and  mica  slate. 

§  14.  The  section  embracing  the  basalts,  porphyry,  and 
which  have  been  termed  pyroj^lastic^  are  also  divided  into 
two  subsections,  which  are  founded  upon  the  circumstances 
under  which  the  masses  have  cooled,  or  condition  under 
which  the  heat  has  operated.  Thus,  the  first  section  contains 
those  rocks  which  have  cooled  under  water  or  great  pressure. 
It  contains  basalt,  greenstone  and  porphyry.  They  are  called 
the  subaqueous  lyyroplastio  rocks.  The  second  contains  the 
lavas  and  aU  other  volcanic  products  which  are  thrown  into 
the  atmosphere  and  cooled  under  the  air,  and  are  hence  cal- 
led sub-mrial. 

§  15.  It  should  be  stated  in  this  place,  that,  although  the 
foregoing  subdivisions  are  sufficiently  exact  for  all  practical 
purposes,  still,  rocks  are  sometimes  met  with,  whose  structure 
is  intermediate,  and  may  not  be  referred  readily  to  either  of 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICCL    SURVEY. 


21 


the  foregoing  sections ;  and  I  may  add,  also,  by  way  of  ex- 
planation, that  the  rocks  which  are  denominated  laminated, 
are  frequently  called  stratified,  which  is  no  doubt  incorrect, 
inasmuch  as  stratified  rocks  should  be  placed  in  the  sedimen- 
tary class,  and  belong  entirely  to  another  order  of  phenomena. 

It  may  be  inquired,  why  I  have  not  followed  the  classifica- 
tion of  others,  and  recognized  a  class  which  has  been  called 
metamorphiG.  The  reason  is  this :  All  rocks  may  become 
metamorphic,  and  hence,  by  the  application  of  certain  agents, 
great  changes  in  their  structure  ;  any  rocks,  therefore,  may  be 
metamorphic,  or  be  metamorphic  inpart  only ;  and  hence,  too, 
while  we  admit  that  rocks  are  changed  or  altered  subsequent 
to  their  consolidation,  it  is  evident  the  fact  is  not  a  fitting  one 
to  form  in  part  the  basis  of  a  classification.  The  so-called 
metamorphic  class  are  mere  accidents  in  the  world's  history ; 
and  hence,  it  will  be  right  to  say,  that  a  certain  rock  is  meta- 
morphic at  a  certain  locality. 

The  term  ^mwar^/ has  been  and  is  still  applied  to  the  pyro- 
crystalline  rocks — meaning,  simply,  that  they  were  consoli- 
dated before  organic  beings  were  created, 

§  16.  But,  to  make  the  foregoing  classification  more  clear, 
and  to  show  more  distinctly  the  character  of  the  respective 
masses,  I  proceed  to  state,  that  the  particles  in  granite, 
though  crystalline,  are  not  arranged  in  parallel  stripes  or 
bands.     In  fig.  1,  A,  this  peculiarity  is  represented.     It  may 


Fig.  1. 


be  traversed  by  plains  or  lines,  as  in  the  figure ;  but  these  are 
the  natural  joints,  and  serve  only  to  divide  the  mass  into  an- 
gular blocks :  while  in  fig.  1,  B,  the  mass  is  divided  into 
strips  or  lamina,  each  of  which  is  separated  from  adjacent 


22  ISrOETH-CAEOLIN'A   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

ones,  by  tlie  mica  or  liornblende,  whicli  is  sometimes  present. 
In  gneiss,  the  lamina  are  usually  thicker  than  in  mica  slate, 
represented  in  fig.  1,  C.  In  Talcose  slate,  the  lamina  are 
usually  curved,  and  the  surface  may  be  corrugated. 

§  IT.  The  structure  of  the  pyroplastic  rocks,  those  which 
have  been  moulded  by  fire,  is  represented  in  part  by  fig.  2, 
A,  B,  C.  Basalt  is  columnar,  as  in  fig.  1,  B.  An  example  of 
this  rock  is  furnished  in  the  natural  walls  of  Rowan.  •  A  por- 
phyry is  rock  which  has  a  compact  base,  through  which  crys- 
talline particles  of  felspar  are  disseminated,  as  in  fig.  2,  B. 


Pig.  2. 


mmw' 


The  subserial  pyroplastic  is  represented  in  C.  The  vesicular 
structure  is  often'  indistinct  in  the  lower  parts  of  the  mass 
which  have  been  subjected  to  pressure.  So,  also,  the  texture 
and  cohesion  are  variable. 

There  is  no  determinate  order  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
foregoing  rocks,  neither  do  they  belong  to  ancient  or  modern 
periods  exclusively,  except  in  the  laminated  pyrocrystalline 
rocks,  which,  as  a  class,  together  with  certain  granites,  are  the 
oldest  rocks  of  the  globe ;  while  certain  granites,  with  the 
1>asalts,  greenstones,  and  lavas,  may  be  said  to  belong  to  all 
periods  indiscriminately. 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  23 


CHAPTER  ly. 

Origin  of  the  Sediments. — How  distinguished  fwin  the  Erup- 
tive Bocks — thickness  of  the  Sediments — their  Classifica- 
cation,  etc. 

§  18.  Sediments  consist  of  abraded  particles  from  pre-ex- 
isting rocks.  These,  in  most  instances,  form  consolidated 
beds,  the  consolidation  having  taken  place  beneath  the  ocean, 
or  beneath  the  waters  which  have  received  the  transported 
matter  from  rivers.  This  matter  sometimes  remains  in  a 
soft  condition,  like  the  marls  and  sands  of  the  low  counties. 

§  19.  Sediments  may  be  distinguished  from  the  eruptive 
or  pyrocrystalline  rocks,  1st,  by  the  presence  of  water-worn 
particles ;  2d,  by  the  presence  of  organic  bodies,  or  fossils. 
The  former  is  the  most  common  character,  inasmuch  as  fos- 
sils are  extremely  rare  in  the  oldest  sediments. 

§  20.  Geologists  estimate  the  aggregate  thickness  of  the 
sediments  at  ten  or  twelve  miles,  without  including  in  the  es- 
timate those  which  are  regarded  as  the  oldest.  This  great 
accumulation  of  abraded  matter  is  not  known  to  exist  at  one 
place,  the  land  not  having  been  stationary  beneath  the  sea, 
so  as  to  receive  the  sediments  all  the  time  during  which  they 
have  been  accumulating.  But  different  parts  of  the  earth's 
surface  have  been  covered  with  water  at  different  periods. 
So  that  sediments  have  always  been  accumulating  since  wa- 
ter has  been  collected  in  the  great  depressions  of  the  earth's 
surface. 

§.  21.  This  fact  has  been  useful  in  classifying  these  de- 
posits, belonging,  as  has  been  stat^,  to  different  periods ; 
for  it  has  been  proved,  by  observation,  that  the  different  pe- 
riods during  which  sediments  have  been  accumulating,  con- 
tain, entombed  in  them,  different  kinds  of  organic  beings. 
But  another  kind  of  evidence,  going  to  prove  both  the  suc- 
cession of  the  sediments  and  their  capability  of  being  sepa- 
rated into  groups,  is  derived  from,  the  superposition  of  rocks. 


24  NOETH-CAEOLINA    GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY. 

Supei'iDOsition  is,  however,  the  highest  proof  of  age ;  the  old- 
est occupying  the  inferior  position. 

§  22.  The  bearing  which  fossils  have  to  any  scheme  of 
classification  which  has  been  proposed,  can  be  understood 
only  by  a  knowledge  of  the  following  laws  :  1.  That  species 
or  hinds  have  had  a  limited  duration;  2.  That  there  has  l)een 
a  suGoession  of  species  ;  and  3.  That  the  species  of  one  period, 
and  which  have  hecome  extinct^  have  never  lived  in  any  fu- 
ture period.  The  ntility  of  the  knowledge  of  fossils  is  based 
on  these  three  laws.  This  knowledge  is  particularly  useful 
in  comparing  rocks  which  are  widely  separated  from  each 
other,  or  in  those  cases  where  direct  superposition  cannot  be 
observed.  If,  for  example,  certain  rocks  in  Canada  furnish  a 
group  of  fossils  similar  to  those  of  a  given  series  in  Tennes- 
see, the  inference  would  be,  that  they  belonged  to  the  same 
period,  and  hence  occupy  the  same  geological  position  ;  or, 
if  we  compare  the  fossils  of  the  coal  formation  of  England 
and  America,  it  will  be  found  that  they  are  almost  identical; 
and  it  is  proved  also,  that  the  position  relatively  is  the  same 
in  both  countries,  though  separated  from  each  other  three 
thousand  miles. 

§  23.  From  the  foregoing  statement  of  facts,  it  will  be  per- 
ceived, that  one  great  object  in  geological  research  is  to  iden- 
tify periods  and  formations  ;  for  periods  and  formations  have 
a  similarity  of  character  not  only  in  their  organic  contents 
but  also  in  the  minerals  connected  with  them. 

"We  are  interested  in  knowing  the  life  character  of  the  dif- 
ferent groups  of  sediments,  as  it  is  from  that  that  the  his- 
tory of  the  earth  is  to  be  deciphered.  It  is  more  than  a  life 
history,  it  is  also  a  physical  history  ;  for  in  that,  or  in  the  phe- 
nomena they  present  us  with,  we  may  read  the  physical 
changes  which  tlie  earth's  surface  has  undergone.  The  life 
history  and  the  physical  history  are  often  recorded  on  the  same 
page  of  the  stone  book. 

§  24.  In  order  to  see  clearly  the  diiFerence  in  the  different 
groups  of  rocks,  we  should  construct  what  is  known  as  a  geo- 
logical column,  on  which  we  may  indicate  the  relative  posi- 
tions of  rocks  by  different  colored  zones,  and  adjacent  to  each 


'  NOETH-CAKOLTNA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  25 

zone  place  the  fossils  of  eacli  group.  Sncli  a  column  wonla 
not  only  show  the  relative  position  of  the  physical  groups, 
but  it  would  also  indicate  the  epochs  during  the  geologic 
time,  the  epochs  being  characterized  by  groups  of  different 
kinds  of  animals  and  plants.  But  this  is  not  all ;  it  would 
show  an  advance  in  rank,  or  a  progress  in  an  ascending  scale 
represented  in  the  passage  of  one  zone  to  another  upon  the 
column.  At  the  bottom,  molusca,  intermingled  with  low 
grades  of  animals  and  plants,  would  occupy  the  whole  of  the 
lower  zone.  In  the  next,  we  may  observe  a, few  Ush  which 
are  the  lowest  representatives  of  the  vertebrated  class.  In 
the  next,  the  reptile  ;  and  a  little  higher,  we  should  find  the 
bird ;  and  after  this  still,  the  lowest  form  of  the  mammal. 
The  progress  in  rank  seems  to  continue,  till  we  reach  the 
highest  zone,  or  the  last  and  present  epoch.  The  progress  is 
from  a  low  to  a  higher  rank ;  not  from  the  simple  to  the  com- 
plex, as  some  suppose ;  or  from  the  impeTfect  to  the  perfect 
structure  ;  for  perfection  of  structure  has  reference  to  adap- 
tation only ;  and,  in  this  view,  the  structure  of  a  molusk  is  as 
perfect  as  a  mammal. 

§  25.  IsTow  in  the  examination  of  the  rocks  of  ISTorth-Caro- 
lina,  I  have  sought  to  identify  them  with  those  of  other  States 
and  countries ;  or,  in  other  words,  to  determine  the  relative 
position  which  they  occupy  in  the  geologic  column  or  scale  ; 
as  such  a  determination  furnishes  a  clue  to  their  economical 
value  as  depositories  of  the  valuable  metals  or  products ;  it 
is,  therefore,  practically  useful,  while  it  advances  or  promotes 
the  progress  of  the  science. 

§  26.  The  following  scheme  or  table  contains  a  -list  of  the 
systems  of  rocks,  arranged  in  the  order  of  superposition. 

The  left  hand  column  contains  the  names  of  the  general 
systems  recognized  in  different  parts  of  the  earth's  surface, 
and  the  right  those  systems  which  are  known  in  North-Caro- 
lina : 


26  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

Generijil  Systems.  Systems  of  North- Carolina. 

Clinozoic,     -I    Recent  and.  Recent  and 

'     (    iertiarv.  Tertiary. 

{Cretaceous,  ^             Cretaceous. 
Oolite, 
Lias, 
New  Red  Sandstone.        New  Red  Sandstone  ? 

f  Permian,  Permian  ? 

I    Carboniferous,  .... 

Palffiozoic,    {    Devonian,  .... 

I    Silurian,  .... 

1^   Taconic.  Taconic. 

Eruptive  or  Pyrocrystalline.  Eruptive  or  Pyrocrystalline. 

§  27.  The  new  red  sandstone  and  permian  are  inserted 
with  a  query,  as  it  is  not  satisfactorily  determined  whether 
the  coal  rocks  of  Deep  and  Dan  rivers  belong  to  the  first  or 
second,  or  to  both.  It  will  be  observed,  that  several  systems 
of  rocks  which  are  clearly  recognized  in  other  States  are 
wanting  in  ISTorth-Carolina,  as  the  silurian,  devonian,  carboni- 
ferous, and  the  lias  and  oolite ;  the  two  last  are  probably 
wanting,  though  it  should  be  stated  that  the  opinion  has  been 
expressed,  by  very  competent  geologists,  that  Deep  and  Dan 
river  rocks  belong  to  one  or  both  of  them. 

Of  the  rocks  which  belong  to  the  State,  the  tertiary  or  cre- 
taceous occur  in  the  lower  counties ;  they  are  the  deposito- 
ries of  the  marls,  and  never  contain  the  ores  of  the  metals, 
excepting  the  earthy  ores  of  iron  and  manganese.  The  rocks 
of  the  Deep  and  Dan  rivers  are  important,  as  they  contain 
beds  of  coal,  ores  of  iron,  fire  clay,  millstones,  grindstones 
and  freestones. 

The  taconic  system,  which  belongs  to  the  oldest  sediments, 
and  which  will  be  fully  described  hereafter,  occupies  the 
midland  counties  in  part,  and  the  extreme  western  border. 
It  contains  the...most  important  repositories  of  the  ores.  The 
eruptive  or  pyrocrystalline  rocks  are  very  generally  distrib- 
uted ;  they  are  also  the  repositories  of  the  ores^ 

§  28.  While  I  believe  it  is  generally  true  that  certain  for- 
mations are  more  productive  in  metals  and  economic  mate- 
rials than  others,  still,  there  are  evidently  certain  exceptions 
to  the  rule ;  and  it  may  j)rove  that  certain  districts  are  rich 
in  metals,  irrespective  of  the  period  to  which  the  rocks  of  the 
district  belong ; .  thus^that  part  of  the  taconic  series  west  of 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  2Y 

the  Blue  Kidge,  and  which  is  referred  to  as  occupying  the 
midland  counties,  is  rich  in  the  ores,  while  the  rocks  of  the 
same  age  west  of  the  Blue  Ridge  are  certainly  very  poor. 
It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  •  causes  which  have  been 
operative  in  charging  the  rocks  with  ores,  have  been  confined 
to  certain  districts  of  country.  Yet  it  does  not  invalidare  the 
conclusion  that  the  metals  or  ores  of  a  district  belong  to  a 
distinct  period  ;  but  in  their  distribution  they  have  been  only 
partial,  or  have  rather  been  limited  to  certain  parts  of  the 
system,  which  represents  the  period  in  question. 

There  is  a  general  rule,  however,  with  respect  to  the  dis- 
tribution of  the  ores,  viz :  they  belong  rather  to  the  eruptive 
or  pyrocrystalline  rocks,  and  the  primary  division  of  the 
sediments,  the  palaeozoic,  or  are  more  common  to  the  oldest 
rocks  of  this  division.  It  would  appear,  therefore,  that  the 
dissemination  of  the  metals  through  the  rocks  took  place  in 
the  early  periods  of  its  history,  and  prior  to  the  mesozoic  and 
cainozoic  series. 

§  29.  Having  stated  a  few  of  the  elementary  23rinciples 
and  facts  belonging  to  the  subject  under  consideration,  I  shall 
now  proceed  to  describe  the  rocks  which  belong  to  the  mid- 
dle zone  of  the  State ;  after  which,  I  shall  be  prepared  to 
describe,  with  considerable  minuteness,  the  veins  and  reposi- 
tories of  the  ores  which  belong  to  those  rocks.  The  rocks  of 
Deep  and  Dan  rivers,  with  their  rich  and  valuable  contents, 
will  come  up  for  consideration  in  the  last  place,  when  the 
facts  which  throw  light  upon  their  relative  age  will  be  stated. 


CHAPTER  Y. 


Of  the  Eruptive  or  Pyrocrystalline  Rocks  of  the  Midland 
Counties  of  North- Caivlina — their  Distribution,  etc. 

§  30.  The  granitic  formations,  which  are  the  subject  mat- 


28  NORTII-CA-EOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    StJRVEY. 

ters  of  tliis  chapter,  form  two  continuous  belts  wliich  cross 
tlie  State  in  a  north-east  and  south-west  direction,  or  nearly 
so.  The  first  or  easterly  belt  is  the  widest,  having  Raleigh 
situated  nearly  centrally  upon  it.  This  belt  furnished  the 
stone  of  which  the  Statehouse  is  built,  and  hence  some  of  its 
charfbteristics  will  be  at  once  recalled  by  the  reader.  It  may 
be  called  locally  the  Raleigh  belt,  or  the  Raleigh  granite. 
The  second  belt  has  Salisbury  and  Greensborough  situated  cen- 
trally upon  it  in  their  respective  districts.  It  diifers  from  the  eas- 
tern in  certain  particulars,  and  may,  with  propriety,  receive 
a  local  name,  the  Salisbury,  and  Greengbordxtgh  granite  belt. 
In  some  parts  of  the  belt  it  is  syenitic,  and  is  frequently  called 
sienite  /  but  in  other  parts  it  is  similar  to  the  eastern  belt  in 
composition. 

§  31.  The  color  of  the  Raleigh  granite  is  a  light  gray,  pass- 
ing occasionally  into  a  dark  gray.  It  is  composed  of  quartz, 
felspar,  and  a  very  small  quantity  of  dark  colored  mica ;  fel- 
spar is  the  most  abundant  element,  and  it  is  the  color  of  this 
mineral  which  gives  it  its  lighter  shade.  To  the  presence  of 
this  mineral  also  is  due  its  disposition,  in  certain  beds,  to  un- 
dergo a  chemical  change,  by  which  it  becomes  soft  and 
worthless  as  a  building  stone.  The  particles  of  felspar  are  of 
a  uniform  and  medium  size ;  the  grain  may  be  rather  fine, 
but  I  believe  never  extremely  coarse.  So  far  as  its  texture 
therefore  is  concerned,  the  stable  and  hard  parts  of  it  are  fit- 
ted for  works  of  construction,  though  its  defects  are  some- 
times brought  out  when  it  is  protected  from  the  weather,  as 
may  be  observed  in  the  floor  of  the  Statehouse.  The  defect  first 
appears  in  a  separation  into  rather  thin  lamina  usually  concen- 
tric ;  the  lamina  becoming  visible,  soon  disintegrate  and  pass 
into  a  powdery  condition,  which  are  the  first  steps  towards 
the  formation  of  a  porcelain  clay.  These  concentric  lamina 
were  no  doubt  developed  during  its  passage  from  a  fluid  to  a 
solid  state.  The  decomposition  of  felspar  is  supposed  to  be  due 
to  the  presence  of  an  alkali  or  alkaline  earth.  In  the  granite 
under  consideration,  it  is  potash ;  indeed,  all  the  granites  of 
North-Carolina  have  a  kind  of  felspar  which  is  technically 
called  potash  felspar. 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY.  29 

§  32.  It  is  only  from  the  decomposing  granites  .that  porce- 
lian  clay  is  produced,  which,  however,  requires  a  perfect 
freedom  from  the  oxides  of  iron  and  manganese.  The  test 
for  good  porcelian  clay  requires  a  perfect  whiteness  when 
subjected  to  the  highest  heat  of  a  furnace.  It  is  only  the  most 
thoroughly  decomposed  felspar  that  gives  us  a  good  clay.  In 
the  progress  of  its  formation,  and  in  the  ultimate  results  of 
decomposition,  we  witness  a  most  beautiful  example  of  the 
molecular  force.  First,  there  is  the  separation  into  lamina, 
which  is  properly  due  to  a  mechanical  force,  but  which  ex- 
poses a  larger  surface  of  molecules  to  atmospheric  influences  ; 
then  a  slight  detachment  o£  particles  from  each  other,  and 
by  which  the  stability  of  the  compound  is  disturbed,  and 
which  soon  results  in  a  complete  separation  of  some  of  the 
potash.  When  the  chemical  affinity  is  so  far  weakened,  the 
process  of  decomposition  goes  on  rather  rapidly,  until  the 
mineral  felspar  is  completely  disorganized,  and  is  perfectly 
resolved  into  its  original  elements.  But  we  must  look  at  the 
process  in  another  point  of  view.  When  certain  elements 
are  being  detached  in  this  way,  they  are  by  no  means  inert 
or  inactive ;  they  are  in  a  state  disposed  to  enter  into  new 
combinations,  or  the  particles  may  simply  combine  together, 
kind  with  kind,  and  so  unite  as  to  produce  solid  elementary 
minerals ;  or  they  may  combine  and  form  new  compound 
bodies.  It  is  so  in  this  case  ;  that  portion  of  the  silica  which 
was  in  combination  with  potash  combines,  and  frequently 
forms  minute  crystals  of  quartz ;  but  sometimes  it  is  a  horn- 
stone.  The  iron  ore  also  collects  by  itself,  and  forms  balls 
consisting  of  the  hydrous  per  oxide  of  iron,  which  may  be, 
and  often  are,  perfectly  well  defined  and  separate  from  the 
white- mass  of  porcelain  earth;  while  the  manganese  also, 
which  is  usually  present  in  some  form  in  the  granite,  com- 
bines and  forms  also  concretions  of  the  metallic  oxide.  Some- 
times these  chemical  changes  appear  to  be  completed,  and 
each  new  formed  body  to  have  become  stable  again ;  but 
frequently  we  may  witness  the  changes  in  all  its  stages  pro- 
gressing slowly  to  the  termination  to  which  I  have  alluded, 
und  in  which  they  become,  for  a  time  at  least,  fixed  bodies. 


■* 


30  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SILRVEY. 

Such  changes  are  well  worthy  of  notice,  as  they  prepare  us 
to  comprehend  other  changes  more  complicated,  and  taking 
place,  under  circumstances  which  we  might  not  expect. 
Such  is  the  case  in  many  mineral  veins,  to  which  reference 
will  be  made  in  its  proper  place.  Similar  changes  occur  in 
reducing  rocks  to  a  soil,  and  under  certain  circumstances  re- 
compositions  take  place  in  the  soil,  which  operates  injuriously 
on  its  productiveness.  Soils  are  no  doubt  generally  derived 
from  solid  rocks.  In  the  south  there  is  a  peculiarity  which 
makes  the  study  of  rocks,  in  connection  with  agriculture, 
more  important  than  it  is  at  the  north ;  for,  as  was  shown  as 
long  ago  as  1824-'25,  by  Prof.  Olmsted,,  the  debris  from  rocks 
forming  the  soil,  remains  in  situ.  The  elements  of  the  soil 
and  of  the  rock  therefore,  are  more  alike ;  and  a  knowledge 
of  the  composition  of  the  rock  gives  us  information  respect- 
ing the  composition  of  the  soil. 

§  S3.  Relation  of  the  Raleigh  helt  of  granite  to  other  mem- 
hers  of  the  ])rimary  rocks. — ^^Vhen  granite  is  spoken  of,  the 
expectation  is,  that  it  is  an  under  lying  rock.  I  have,  how- 
ever, intimated  that  cases  are  on  record,  in  which  it  is  shown 
that  it  is  an  overlying  one.  In  the  bek  of  granite  under  con- 
sideration, there  is  evidence  which  goes  to  show  that  it  over- 
lies gneiss,  mica,  slate,  and  hornblende.  The  most  important 
locality  which  brings  to  light,  this  relation,  is  about  one  or 
one-half  miles  west  of  Warrenton,  in  Warren  county.  These 
laminated  rocks  crop  out  from  beneath  the  granite  in  this  re- 
gion. The  exposure  is  not  extensive,  but  sufficiently  so  to 
establish  the  relation  at  this  place.  There  are  still  others  of 
the  kind,  but  less  conspicuous.  But  if  the  observation  is  cor- 
rect at  or  near  Warrenton,  it  seems  to  me  that  it  establishes 
the  fact  for  the  whole  belt. 

It  follows,  from  the  foregoing,  that  it  was  projected  through 
fissures  in  the  gneiss  or  mica  slate,  and  that  from  those  it 
overflowed  the  country  where  it  is  now  the  upper  rock. 

This  relation,  however,  is  not  new ;  for  many  years  since 
I  observed  the  same  fact  respecting  the  granites  of  Maine, 
which  have  become  so  celebrated  in  architecture.  But  in 
Maine,  the  area  of  the  beds  is  limited,  frequently  only  cap- 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  31 

piiig  a  hill,  and  from  whicli  the  whole  had  been  removed, 
leaving  the  beds  of  gneiss  and  hornblende  exposed. 

§  34,  This  belt  of  granite  is  peculiar  in  another  respect,  it 
furnishes  no  metalic  veins ;  and  is  rarely  traversed  by  trap- 
dykes.  This  negative  character  is  referred  to,  in  consequence 
of  its  being  in  contrast  with  the  Salisbury  and  Greensborough 
belt.  It  is  of  course  unnecessary  to  attempt  to  explain  the 
fact.  We  cannot  account  for  the  activity  of  those  forces  Avhich 
are  instrumental  .in  filling  tissures  with  metallic  matters  in 
certain  districts,  neither  for  their  inactivity  in  others. 

§  35.  The  geographical  position  of  the  Raleigh  belt  of 
granite  may  be  defined  approximately,  by  giving  the  names 
of  the  places  through  which  its  extreme,  outer  edges  pass,  and 
connecting  those  places  by  lines ;  thus  the  western  edge  runs 
three  miles  west  of  Henderson,  and  one-and-a-half  or  two 
miles  west  of  Raleigh,  and  from  thence  south-westwardly 
through  the  Buckhorn  falls,  on  the  Cape  Fear  river.  From 
the  latter  place  it  is  concealed  by  sands,  but  appears  to  sweep 
around  towards  Rockingham  and  Richmond  county,  as  it  ap- 
pears there,  and  also  upon  the  head  waters  of  Turkey  creek. 
Upon  Turkey  creek  there  are  fine  quarries  of  millstone. 

The  south-east  edge  passes  through  Weldon,  where  it  forms 
a  barrier  across  the  Roanoke  ;  thence  to  Belford,  at  the  west 
boundary  of  l^ash  county ;  thence  five  miles  west  of  Smith- 
field,  in  Johnston  county.  In  this  neighborhood  it  is  con- 
cealed by  sands. 

The  granite  of  Rocky  Mount  belongs  to  this  belt ;  but  it  is 
separated  from  it  by  a  belt  of  slate  whicli  extends  from  Gas- 
ton through  Halifax  and  Belford,  where  it  lies  in  contact 
with  the  granite.  The  breadth  of  this  granite  is  from  twenty 
to  twenty-five  miles. 

§  36.  In  an  economical  point  of  view,  very  little  need  be 
said  of  this  belt  of  granite.  It  makes  a  fine  building  mate- 
rial when  it  is  firm,  and  resists  the  action  of  the  weather.  It 
contains  a  very  few  minerals,  which,  on  exposure,  weathers 
out,  and  thus  impairs  its  qualities.  In  the  shade  it  how- 
ever often  becomes  dark  and  dingy  from  the  growth  of 
lichens  and  fungi,  whose  growth  seem  to  be  favored  by  moit- 


32  NOETH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUENEY. 

ture,  and  perhaps  also  by  the  disengagement  of  potash  from 
the  felspar.  This  rock  furnishes  one  of  the  most  distinct  un- 
mixed granite  soils  in  the  State.  It  will  be  interesting  to 
know  its  agricultural  capabilities,  and  to  ascertain  whether  it 
has,  in  any  respects,  advantages  over  the  slate  soil,  in  its  vi- 
cinity. 

§  37.  The  'Salisbury  and  Greensborougli  helt  of  granite. — 
This  is  frequently  a  syenitic  granite,  that  is,  hornblende  takes 
the  place  of  mica.  The  grain  and  texture  of  the  rock  is  not 
unlike  that  of  the  Kaleigh  granite.  It  is  rarely  coarse,  and 
never  contains  large  particles  of  quartz,  mica,  or  hornblende. 
Felspar  predominates  over  the  other  elements,  and  hence, 
as  this  is  usually  light  colored,  so  the  granite  is  generally  a 
light  gray.  The  disposition  to  crumble  is  greater  than  the' 
rock  already  described,  and  frequently  it  is  easily  crushed  by 
the  hand,  and  large  beds  of  it  occur  where  it  is  soft,  to  a 
depth  of  twenty  feet ;  indeed,  large  areas  occur,  in  which  we 
may  not  observe  the  rock  at  all,  except  in  the  form  and  con- 
dition of  a  debris.  But  in  some  places  it  furnishes  a  fine 
firm  building  material,  capable  of  withstanding  the  influence 
of  the  weather.  The  weathering  rock  frequently  exposes 
masses  which  are  hard,  and  resist  atmospheric  influences  a 
long  time.  These  hard  rocks  are  nuclei,  which  seem  to 
have  been  formed  by  concretionary  movements.  They  stand 
about  upon  the  surface  like  boulders.  The  roads  from  Salis- 
bury and  Concord,  and  from  the  former  place  to  Gold  Hill, 
pass  through  or  by  fields  of  these  rocks,  which  have  been 
weathered  out  in  the  course  of  ages. 

§  38.  ^Notwithstanding  the  great  similarity  existing  be- 
tween this  and  the  Raleigh  granite,  in  texture  and  composi- 
tion, still  the  two  belts  present  a  great  contrast  in  other  res- 
pects. This  contrast  appears  in  the  numerous  metallic  veins 
and  trap-dykes  which  traverse  the  Salisbury  and  Greensbo- 
rougli belt.  Of  the  former,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  mention 
the  J^orth-Carolina  copper  mine,  McCulloch  gold  mine,  Phe- 
nix  &  Vanderburgh  gold  and  copper  mine,  the  Pioneer  gold 
and  copper  mine,  and  the  Boger  &  Hill  copper  mines.  Trap- 
dykes  are  numerous  at  most  places  where  the  rock  is  ex- 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET.  33 

posed,  and  appear  very  conspicuous  in  many  of  the  railroad 
cuttings.  But,  at  certain  points  they  are  so  numerous  that 
the  rock  is  obscured.  The  dykes  are  not  composed  of  one 
material,  but  consist  of  the  common  amphibolic  trap,  quartz, 
felspar  and  thin  seams  of  epidote ;  forming,  together,  a  net 
work  of  eruptive  rocks.  When  they  decompose,  the  horn- 
blende trap  appears  in  dark  green  stripes,  and  many,  when 
carefully  examined,  have  assumed  the  structure  of  a  sedi- 
ment or  a  laminated  rock,  and  which  often  appears  like  the 
dark  green  slates  of  the  taconic  system.  This  singular  struc- 
ture of  an  eruptive  rock  is  interesting  and  important,  as  it 
proves  that  it  may  be  produced  in  rocks  which  have  been 
regarded  as  sediments,  but  which,  in  these  cases,  are  the  far- 
thest removed  from  rocks  of  this  description,  and  with  which 
water  has  had  nothing  to  do.  The  lamina  are  sometimes  as 
thin  as  paper,  and,  from  their  appearance,  cannot  be  distin- 
guished from  the  slates  referred  to.  They  are  bounded  by 
walls  of  granite,  and  are  frequently  only  from  six  to  ten 
inches  wide.  We  see  the  phenomena  in  the  apparent  slate  or 
killas  which  border  the  gold  and  copper  veins  when  they  tra- 
verse granite.  The  slaty  structure  of  the  dykes,  which  has 
just  been  noticed,  is  in  strong,  contrast  with  the  columnar 
structure  which  frequently  occurs,  of  which  instances,  the 
well  known  natural  walls  of  Rowan  and  Stokes  counties  are 
familiar  examples. 

§  39.  I  have  already  alluded  to  some  of  the  differences  be- 
tween this  and  the  eastern  belt,  especially  in  the  existence  in 
the  former  of  numerous  metallic  veins.  It  should  be  stated 
in  this  place,  that  the  veins  referred  to  are  not  distributed  in- 
discriminately through  the  rock.  On  this  subject,  however, 
it  is  sufficient  to  state  the  fact,  that  they  are  confined  mostly 
to  the  edges  of  the  granite,  or  to  the  sides  which  are  border- 
ed by  slate,  of  another  formation.  The  veins  which  I  have 
already  enumerated  lie  along- the  south-east  border,  most  of 
them  within  one  or  two  miles  of  the  slate. 

The  central  railroad  runs  along  the  central  part  of  the  belt, 
and   although  there  are  many  deep  cuttings  through   the 
granite,  still  there  is  not  a  single  instance  in  which  those  cut- 
3 


34  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

tings  have  intersected  metallic  veins — though,  as  I  have  said, 
the  dykes  exposed  are  very  numerous. 

The  explanation  of  the  foregoing  facts  respecting  the  oc- 
currence and  peculiar  distribution  of  the  metallic  veins  is  dif- 
Hcult.  We  are  not  in  possession  of  all  the  facts  required,  for 
a  solution  of  the  question.  The  fact  which  bears  more  im- 
mediately upon  this  subject,  is  the  greater  thickness  of  the 
granite  mass  in  its  centre,  or  along  the  line  of  railway.  Yein 
fissures  in  this  part  of  the  rock  may  not  reach  the  surface — - 
or  it  may  lie  at  a  distance  from  the  axis  of  disturbance,  or  of 
the  eruptive  force. 

§  40.  This  belt  of  granite  is  from  ten  to  fourteen  miles 
wide.  The  belt  will  attract  attention  wherever  it  is  crossed 
by  the  numerous  trap-dykes  in  all  parts  of  the  districts  ;  thus, 
ingoing  from  Roxborough  to  Yancey  ville,  from  Graham  to 
Guilford,  or  froin  Union  county  through  Charlotte  to  Lincoln 
county,  he  will  pass  over  the  granite  with  its  trap-dylres. 

§  41.  The  eastern  border  of  this  belt  passes  four  miles  east 
of  Hoxborough,  and  from  thence  southwardly  by  the  North- 
Carolina  copper  mine,  and  about  two  miles  east  of  Lexing- 
ton ;  thence  one  mile  west  of  Gold  Hill,  and  thence  a  few 
deo-rees  west  of  south  to  the  State  line  in  South-Carolina. 

The  western  border  is  about  four  miles  east  of  Yancey  ville  ; 
thence  by  the  High  Rock  ford,  on  Haw  river ;  thence  five 
miles  west  of  Jamestown,  and  crossing  the  Yadkin  near 
Crump's  ford  ;  thence  near  the  fork  of  the  South  Yadkin,  and 
crossing  the  Catawba  near  the  great  horse  shoe  bend,  and 
thence  crossing  the  Little  Catawba  near  Springs'  mill,  and 
passing  out  of  the  State,  it  takes  the  direction  of  Yorkville, 
in  South-Carolina.  The  belt  crosses  the  State  obliquely  ;  it 
takes  an  easterly  sweep  after  passing  north  of  Salisbury :  it 
crosses  the  Dan  just  above  Clarksville,  near  the  junction  of 
the  Dan  and  Roanoke. 

Notwithstanding  the  fissuration  to  which  this  rock  has  been 
subjected,  it  is  comparatively  barren  in  minerals,  except  the 
metallic  oxides.  Epidote  is  common,  schorl  rare,  and  the 
tourmalines  unknown  in  connexion  with  it.  In  this  respect 
it  is  similar  to  the  eastern  belt. 


«• 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  .35 

§  42.  This  would  be  the  proper  place  to  discuss,  at  some 
length,  the  age  of  the  trap-dykes  and  metallic  veins  of  this 
formation ;  but,  inasmuch  as  the  subject  of  the  formation  of 
veins  will  come  up  in  another  place,  I  shall  now  leave  this 
interesting  question  to  a  future  time,  barely  observing  that 
the  bearing  of  the  facts  upon  it  go  to  show  that  the  dykes 
were  formed  subsequent  to  the  deposit  of  the  adjacent  slates, 
which  are,  no  doubt,  sediments  of  the  Palseozoic  age. 
•  §  43.  Granites  of  Lincoln^  Gaston  and  Catawba  Counties. — 
A  person,  on  arriving  at  Lincolnton  in  the  evening,  would 
imagine  that  the  streets  were  covered  with  snow.  This  white- 
ness of  the  streets,  however,  is  not  so  glaring  now  as  former  - 
ly.  The  soil  is  a  decomposed  white  coarse  granite,  which  ex- 
plains the  peculiar  appearance  referred  to.  The  felspar  is 
predominant  here,  but  the  mica  being  very  light  colored,  and 
in  rather  large  lamina,  the  whole  rock  appears  whiter  than 
usual.  The  granite  of  Lincoln  and  the  counties  named,  oc- 
curs in  veins  both  in  gneiss  and  talcose,  or  mica  slate.  It  is 
therefore  a  subordinate  rock.  It  forms  a  network  of  veins  in 
this  region,  and  some  veins  are  very  wide. 

This  rock  first  appears  about  two  miles  east  of  Lincolnton  ; 
large  plates  of  mica  will  probably  be  noticed  first  by  the  road 
side.  The  rock  to  which  it  belongs  will  be  seen  occasional!}^ 
in  the  ditches.  It  is  very  abundant  in  and  about  Lincolnton, 
as  if  it  was  the  principal  rock.  It  extends  over  a  wide  area. 
Towards  King's  mountain  the  road  passes  for  twelve  miles 
upon  it,  or  it  is  very  frequently  a  prominent  rock  on  the 
way  side.  To  northwards  from  Lincolnton  it  may  be  traced 
ten  or  fifteen  miles.  Its  breadth  is  not  over  three  miles.  This 
l)elt  seems  to  have  been  extensively  fissured,  which  circum- 
stance gave  origin  to  this  eruption  along  a  narrow  belt  whicii 
seems  to  lie  between  two  systems  of  rocks ;  on  the  east  are 
the  slates  of  the  taconic  system,  and  on  the  west  gneiss,  mica 
slate  and  hornblende  rock.  I  have  not  been  successful  in  my 
searches  for  the  ores  in  this  rock.  Schorl  and  lepidolite  are 
the  only  minerals  which  I  have  discovered. 

This  granite  resembles  that  which  occurs  at  Chester,  Ches- 
terfield and  Norwich,  in   Massachusetts — and   which   tliere 


36  NOETH-CAROLIKA  GEOLOGICAL   8UEVET. 

contains  many  kinds  of  rare  minerals,  though  the  metals  are 
absent,  excepting  some  exceeding  rare  ones  in  minute  quan* 
tity. 


CHAPTEB  YI. 


Of  the  Lmninated  Pyrocrystaline  Rocks — as  Gneiss,  Mica 
and  Talcose  Slates  and  HornHende. — Limestone. 

§  44,  The  individual  rocks  which  fall  under  the  foregoing 
denominations  occupy  only  limited  areas.  Indeed  it  is  rather 
difficult  to  determine,  in  certain  instances,  the  line  of  de- 
markation  between  gneiss  and  granite,  as  frequently  there 
are  passage  beds  connecting  one  with  the  other.  I  find  pas- 
sage beds  in  belts  along  the  Crabtree,  near  Raleigh ;  but  they 
are  more  remarkable  near  the  line  of  junction  with  the 
slates,  the  ancient  sediments  along  the  western  border  of  the 
granite.  These  beds  are  intersected  by  the  road  leading 
from  Raleigh  to  Louisburg ;  but  being  quite  indistinct,  and 
moreover  quite  limited  in  the  area  they  occupy,  I  have  in- 
cluded them  within  the  bounds  of  the  eastern  range  of  granite- 
It  may  become  necessary,  on  a  farther  examination,  to 
separate  them  from  the  granite.  There  is  no  necessity  for  it 
now,  inasmuch  as  in  an  economical  point  of  view  they  are  of 
little  importance. 

§  45.  The  most  distinct  belt  of  gneiss,  and  its  related  rocks 
the  primary  slates,  bounds  the  Salisbury  and  Greensborough 
sj^ranite  in  Lincoln,  Catawba  and  Iredell  counties.  The  belt 
is  narrow,  and  not  only  extends  through  the  eastern  part  of 
the  counties  just  named,  but  runs  on  through  Davie  and  For- 
sythe  to  Rockingham  county. 

The  locality  where  the  rock  under  examination  presents  its 
typical  form,  is  at  Brevard's  furnace,  on  Dutchman's  creek.    A 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  37 

deep  cut  exposes,  at  this  place,  a  rather  remarkable  condition 
of  the  rock ;  it  is  in  a  concretionary  condition,  the  concre- 
tions being  upon  the  largest  scale  of  development.  The  -rock 
is  gray,  fine  grained,  and  obscurely  jointed.  It  presents  the 
usual  character  of  gneiss  in  its  laminations  and  passages  into 
mica  slate  and  hornblende.  In  Rockingham  county  the  rock 
is  more  schistose  and  fine  grained,  or  rather  approaches  in 
structure  and  composition  talcose  slate,  and  a  thin  laminated 
kind  of  hornblende. 

It  seems  unnecessary  to  dwell  at  greater  length  upon  these 
rocks  at  this  time.  They  have  furnished  very  few  metallic 
veins.  They  however  lie  between  the  granite  and  the  oldest 
sediments ;  and  as  marking  a  geological  as  well  as  a  geo- 
graphical boundary,  their  place  in  the  series  should  not  pass 
unnoticed.  These  rocks,  however,  as  they  are  largely  devel- 
oped along  the  Blue  ridge,  will  receive  the  attention  they  de- 
serve in  the  proper  place. 

§  46.  Limestone  of  this  series,. — The  most  important  rock 
which  appears  in  intimate  connexion  with  the  foregoing,  is  a 
white  granular  limestone.  The  mode  in  which  it  should  be 
described,  or  how  it  should  be  regarded,  is  not  well  settled  in 
my  own  mind  at  least.  Its  position,  at  several  localities,  is 
certainly  among  the  gneiss  and  mica  slate  and  hornblende 
rocks,  and  its  lamina  or  beds  are  nearly  parallel  with  them  ; 
but  still  it  has  many  characters  which  belong "  only  to  the 
eruptive  rocks. 

Bolejack's  quarries  in  Stokes  county  is  the  most  typical 
form  under  which  it  occurs.  These  quarries  are  four  miles 
west  of  Germanton.  Tlie  rock  is  white  granular,  rather 
coarse  and  firm,  is  free  from  magnesia,  and  lies  in  beds  or 
thick  laminated  parallel  masses,  which  incline  at  about  10° 
to  the  horizon.  At  Mr.  Martin's  beds,  the  hmestone  incloses 
foreign  rocks,  as  quartz,  slate  and  hornblende  ;  but  the  lime 
it  furnishes  is  good  and  strong. 


38  NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


CHAPTEE  YII. 

Of  the  oldest  Sediments — their  Prionary  Characters  m"  As- 
pect— difficulty  of  distinguishing  them  from,  the  true  Pri- 
mary or  PyrocrysiaUine  Pochs  hy  their  Lithological  Char- 
acters, etc. 

§  47.  A  few  years  only  have  elapsed  since  geologists  first 
attempted  to  discover  tlie  bottom  rocks,  their  labors  having 
been  confined  to  the  superior  masses  to  which  they  were  al- 
lured by  the  innumerable  relics  of  the  past,  and  among  which 
they  could  revel  with  more  pleasure  than  the  antiquarian 
among  the  ruins  of  cities.  It  is  difficult  even  now,  to  satisf}^ 
.)neself  what  the  real  views  of  ffeoloo-ists  now  are  of  the  bot- 
torn  rocks ;  and  it  is  a  question  which  is  still  in  the  mouths  of 
some,  can  they  be  distinguished  and  known,  seeing  they  must 
have  been  subjected  to  many  changes  from  the  action  of 
forces  which  were  then  powerful  and  energetic  ? 

But  notwithstanding  the  plansibility  of  such  a  question, 
there  are  still  grounds  for  behoving  that  the  bottom  rocks,  or 
the  oldest  sediments,  retain  the  marks  of  their  origin,  if  not 
entirely  intact,  yet,  sufficiently  distinct  and  entire  for  their 
recognition.  This  view  is  founded  on  the  probability,  that 
wdien  these  rocks  began  to  be  laid  down  upon  the  sea  bottom, 
the  earth's  crust  had  become  stable,  the  inner  forces  had  be- 
come' comparatively  quiet,  and  that  their  activity  did  not 
greatly  exceed  in  intensity  what  is  witnessed  in  our  day. 
The  time  had  come  when  the  earth  was  to  be  inhabited ;  it 
had  received  its  two  outer  envelopes,  water  and  the  atmos- 
phere. These  results  had  come  to  pass,  or  had  taken  place 
in  the  natural  progress  of  things — were  the  result  of  laws 
which  govern  bodies  placed  in  the  condition  the  earth  then 
Avas.  The  forces  had  died  out,  or  had  become  weakened ; 
and  they  ceased  to  be  energetic,  because  the  sources  of  their 
energy  were  spent.  If  the  foregoing  is  true,  it  follows,  that 
in  the   course  of  nature,  the  partially  extinct  powers  could 


NOETH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET.  39 

not  be  revived  or  awakened  into  life.  Locally,  tliey  might 
still  be  energetic,  but  their  general  force  was  expended,  and 
hence  too,  it  would  not  be  in  accordance  with  the  general 
condition  then  existing,  for  forces  to  act  so  intensely  as  to 
change  sediments  into  those  universal  rocks,  gneiss,  mica 
slate  and  hornblende. 

But  to  turn  to  the  results  of  observation.  A  consistent  in- 
terpretation of  the  phenomena  connected  with  sediments  cer- 
tainly old,  if  not  the  oldest,  prove  in  this  country,  and  in  Eu- 
rope, that  we  reach  a  sedimentary  base,  or  what  appears  to 
be  such,  below  which,  we  have  no  evidence  of  still  older 
beds.  We  find  that  they  rest  upon  those  universal  rocks, 
gneiss,  mica  and  talcose  slate  and  hornblende,  to  say  nothing 
of  granite  as  a  substratum.  The  proof  of  rocks  of  sedimen- 
tary origin,  reaches  us  from  these  deep  seated  beds,  below 
which  we  can  find  nothing  deeper  or  lower,  bearing  the  char- 
acter of  sediments.  The  oldest  beds  are  supposed  to  be  azoic, 
but  discoveries  have  proceeded  downwards,  and  masses  sup- 
posed to  be  destitute  of  organic  remains  have  been  giving 
them  up  to  the  tireless  observations  of  geologists,  so  that  it  is 
yet  unsafe  to  declare  that  the  bottom  beds  are  truly  azoic. 

The  older,  deep  seated  sediments,  are  sometimes  distin- 
guished with  difficulty  from  the  true  primary  series;  their 
lithological  characters  very  often  belong  to  the  same  order. 
We  might  doubt  their  being  sediments  at  all,  were  it  not  that 
they  are  associated  with  pebbly  beds. 

§  47.  The  masses  which  are  obscure,  are  derived  from 
those  containing  9nica  and  talc,  especially  the  former.  This 
is  due  to  the  properties  of  these  minerals,  they  are  never  re- 
duced to  rounded  grains,  but  retain  their  form,  or -are  merely 
splits;  besides,  when  subjected  to  attrition,  the  size  of  their 
particles  are  rarely  diminished,  and  hence,  when  reformed 
into  rock,  the  characters  of  the  parent  rock  are  reproduced ; 
hence,  we  find  very  good  mica  and  talcose  slates  among  the 
sediments:  even  in  the  coal  measures,  beds  are  not  unfre- 
quently  occuring,  which  retain  a  decided  primary  aspect. 
But  the  abrasions  in  the  first  instance,  and  forming  for  the 
first  time  sedimentary  beds,  are  still  more  like  the  original 


40  NOETH-CAHOLIilA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

rocks  from  which  they  were  derived  ;  and  hence,  it  may  re- 
quire the  most  careful  observations,  in  order  to  arrive  at  the 
conchision  that  they  are  sediments  at  all.  It  is  not,  then, 
their  lithological  characters  which  we  seek,  for  the  purpose 
of  determining  their  origin,  but  the  associated  beds  with 
which  they  are  strictly  conformable,  which  gives  us  the  evi- 
dence in  this  particular  upon  which  we  may  rely ;  and  to  repeat 
what  has  been  already  intimated,  their  sedimentary  character 
rests  mainly  upon  the  occurrence  of  conformable  pebble 
beds ;  yet  the  presence  of  fossils  may  yet  come  to  our  aid, 
and  confirm  their  origin  assigned  to  them. 

§  49.  Another  source  of  difficulty,  which  meets  us  in  the 
determination  of  the  origin  of  rocks,  are  changes  produced  in 
them  by  proximity  to,  or  by  the  contact  with,  igneous  rocks. 
It  is,  however,  real.  In  many  suspicious  cases,  we  have  to 
consider  what  change  is  incident  to  that  order  of  forces  to 
which  rocks  were  supposed  to  have  been  subjected.  In  the 
case  of  heat,  we  know  that  a  rock  must  become  indurated, 
according  to  the  degree  to  which  it  has  been  exposed.  Sand- 
stone and  sandy  slate  may  become  sonorous  or  ringing,  like 
a  well-baked  brick — and  still  more  so,  when  clay  slates  have 
been  subjected  to  a  strong  heat,  but  short  of  fusion;  the 
sound  will  be  more  like  the  ringing  of  cast-iron.  'No  slates 
or  sandstones  ever  emit  a  clear  ringing  sound  when  struck, 
unless  they  have  been  heated.  The  texture  in  those  cases 
may  be  only  slightly  changed — it  is  always  short  of  vitrifica- 
tion. This  may  seem  at  variance  with  certain  varieties  of 
quartz,  which  are  aj)parently  vitrified  from  heat — as  flint, 
hornstone,  and  quartz  beds,  in  the  granular  quartz  rock. 
The  apparent  vitrification  is  due  to  a  chemical  combination 
of  the  particles,  or  to  a  cause  independent  of,  and  distinct 
from,  heat. 

§  50.  In  ISTorth-Carolina,  we  have  to  deal  with  rocks  of  an 
obscure  origin  and  character ;  and  hence,  I  have  dwelt  upon 
principles  which  appear  to  flow  from  the  facts  we  meet  with 
in  its  geology.  The  first  questions  which  a  geologist  would 
ask  respecting  these  obscure  rocks  would  be,  to  what  period 
do  they  belong,  and  to  what  series  in  this  country  are  they 


NOETH-GAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  41 

related?  These  are  the  questions  whicli  I  put  to  myself, 
(and  which  have  been  often  repeated,)  at  the  beginning  of 
the  survey.  Do  they  harmonize  with  the  rocks  of  a  known 
epoch  in  our  country  ?  For  we  want  to  bring,  if  possible, 
every  series  into  correlation  with  some  other  series,  both  as 
physical  groups  and  in  their  organic  contents.  Such  a  cor- 
rellation  would  establish  the  identy  of  their  epoch.  The  law 
or  rule  is,  that  agreement  in  these  respects,  constitutes  agree- 
ment in  the  most  essential  characters.  I  shall  treat  of  the 
characteristics  of  these  ancient  rocks  of  ISTorth-Carolina,  and 
show  their  correlations,  in  the  next  chapter. 


CHAPTEE  yni. 


The  Rocks  ref  erred  to,  as  telonging  to  the  oldest  hiown  Sedi- 
ments, lelong  in  part  to  the  Midland  Counties.  They  are 
Slate  and  Quartzites  mainly,  and  their  Sedimentary  Origin 
is  hased  mainly  xipon  conformahle  Pebbly  Beds.  They  are 
found  to  he  related  to  Mocks  which  are  known  in  the  North, 
and  which  there  constittUe  the  Taconic  System. 

§  51.  The  formations  of  the  midland  counties  which  occu- 
py the  largest  extent  of  surface,  are  slates  and  silicious  rocks 
which  have  been  called  quartzites.  It  is  a  formation  which 
was  described  as  long  ago  as  1824:-'7,  by  Professors  Olmsted 
and  Mitchell,  both  of  whom  fully  understood  its  importance. 

The  slates  are  variable  in  color  and  composition.  They 
are  mineralogically  clay,  chloritic  and  talcose  slates,  taking 
silica  into  their  composition,  at  times,  and  even  passing  into 
fine  grits  or  honestones,  but  still  variable  in  coarseness.  In 
the  order  in  which  they  lie,  the  talcose  slates  and  quartzites 
are  the  inferior  rocks,  though  quartzites  occur  also  in  the 
condition  of  chert,  flint  or  hornstone,  in  all  the  series. 


42  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

§  52.  But  tlie  foregoing  slates,  with  their  associates,  stand- 
ing by  themselves,  though  they  might  be  regarded  as  sedi- 
ments, yet,  the  proof  thereof  would  be  wanting,  and  geolo- 
gists might  consistently  diifer  as  to  their  origin.  But  it  for- 
tunately'' happens,  that  after  dilligent  search,  numerous  beds 
containing  rounded  pebbles  were  discovered ;  and  hence  it 
follows,  that  their  origin  is  established.  They  must  have 
been  formed  in  the  sedimentary  period ;  and  hence,  we  are 
interested  in  the  farther  enquiry  respecting  the  true  epoch  to 
which  they  belong ;  and  therefore  the  enquiry,  can  they  be 
brought  into  correllation  with  other  known  formations,  whose 
period  has  been  determined,  is  a  question  too  important  to 
be  passed  over. 

§  53.  Taking  the  principles  which  have  been  laid  down 
for  our  guide,  we  may  first  try  or  compare  them  with  several 
systems  or  series  of  the  palaeozoic  division,  and  see  how  their 
correllation  will  then  stand.  1.  The  carboniferous.  With 
this  systeiti  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  compare  these  rocks  at 
all.  The  fossils  and  the  formations  are  so  well  known  and  so 
'well  delined,  that  the  analogies,  even,  are  very  remote.  jSTo 
one  would  admit  that  the  resemblances  between  the  slates  of 
the  two  series  can  bring  them  into  correllation;  and  be- 
sides, the  carboniferous  slates  always  contain  coal  plants,  of 
which  there  is  not  the  remotest  semblance  in  those  of  ISTorth- 
Carolina. 

The  series  beneath  the  carboniferous,  the  devonian,  is  made 
up  of  slates,  limestones  and  olive  sandstones,  in  which  there 
are  either  bands  of  fossils,  or,  as  in  the  cases  of  limestones, 
they  are  highly  charged  with  very  conspicuous  ones,  which 
could  not  escape  the  notice  of  the  most  careless  geologist. 
The  l!^orth- Carolina  slates  and  quartzites  have  no  nearer  rela- 
tion to  the  devonian  than  to  the  carboniferous. 

The  Silurian  system  is  divided  into  upper  and  lower ;  the 
upper  is  rich  in  limestones,  shaly  limestones  and  slates,  all  of 
Avliich  are  rich  in  peculiar  fossils.  There  are  no  beds  in 
North  Carolina  which  have  even  a  remote  resemblance  to 
this  division  of  the  silurian  system.  The  lower  division, 
however,  requires  a  very  careful  comparison  with  the  rocks 


NORTPI-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY.  43 

of  this  State ;  besides,  there  are  geologists  wlio  assume  that 
the  ISTorth-Carohna  series  are  lower  silurian  disguised  by  the 
action  of  heat  or  metamorphism. 

The  lower  division  is  composed  of  sandstone,  limestone, 
slate,  shale  and  gray  sandstones.  I  have  mentioned  the  rocks 
in  the  ascending  order.  Mineralogically,  the  sandstone  is  not 
unlike  some  beds  of  sandstone  in  N5rth-Carolina.  The  lime- 
stones, which  succeed  and  repose  upon  the  sandstone  in  the 
silurian  system,  are  rich  in  conspicuous  fossils,  belonging  to 
the  several  orders  of  animals.  In  North-Carolina,  there  are 
no  fossils,  and  the  relation  of  the  limestones  which  occur,  are 
unlike  those  of  the  silurian  system.  The  upper  beds  of  low- 
er silurian  are  also  highly  fossiliferous,  and  of  peculiar  kinds  ; 
and  as  they  neither  occur  in  them,  and  as  the  sandstones  and 
shales  appear  to  have  no  existence  in  the  slate,  it  seems  too 
great  an  assumption  to  regard  the  ISTorth-Carolina  slates  and 
quartzites  as  lower  silurian. 

.  An  older  system  of  slates,  quartzites  and  limestones,  etc., 
lie  beneath  the  silurian  system,  which  at  one  time  were  rank- 
ed with  the  primary  rocks,  are  now  well  known  at  the  north 
as  sediments ;  and  though  several  distinguished  geologists  re- 
gard them  as  lower  silurian,  still  the  grounds  of  that  belief  are 
too  slender  for  general  acceptation ;  and  since  they  are  be- 
neath the  silurian,  they  cannot,  consistently,  form  a  part  of 
the  system.  These  infra  silurian  rofcks,  occupy  the  western 
slopes  of  the  Green  mountain  range,  they  repose  directly  up- 
on the  primary  series,  and  continue  for  more  than  twelve 
hundred  miles  in  this  country  in  one  continued  belt.  No 
sediments  of  an  older  date  intervene  in  all  this  distance  be- 
tween them  and  the  primary  referred  to. 

In  these  ancient  infra  silurian  sediments,  I  think  we  can 
recognize  those  of  the  slate  system  of  North  Carolina. 

1.  In  position  they  appear  to  agree ;  and  though  they  are 
not  overlaid  by  the  silurian  on  the  east  side  of  the  Blue 
Ridge,  yet  we  may  see  the  same  conformity  with  certain 
talcose  slates  beneath,  as  at  the  north.  The  quartz  rock  of 
Montgomery,  Orange  and  Randolph  counties,  gives  us  the 


44  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

C 

base  from  wliicli  may  be  traced  tlie  proteiform  beds,  which 
make  up  what  we  may  here  call  the  slate  system. 

2.  The  great  paucity  of  fossils,  and  probably  absence  of  all 
traces  of  organization  in  the  lowest  talcose  slate,  makes  the 
correlation  of  the  rocks  in  the  two  sections  of  our  country 
quite  evident. 

3.  The  chloritic  and  aluminous  slates,  with  their  veins  of 
milky  quartz,  are  also  alike  in  each  district. 

4.  The  passage  of  slates  into  quartzite,  hornstone  and  fine 
grits,  are  also  alike  in  kind ;  but  in  Korth-Carolina  the  fine 
grits  and  hornstones  are  more  common. 

5.  The  quartz  rock  is  identically  the  same  both  at  the  nortli 
and  south. 

When,  therefore,  there  are  so  many  points  of  agreement, 
and  so  few  of  disagreement,  it  appears  to  me  the  rocks  of  the 
two  sections  should  be  regarded  as  the  same ;  or,  in  other 
words,  as  belonging  to  one  and  the  same  system. 

§  54.  This  system  has  been  named  the  taconic  system, 
from  a  range  of  mountains  lying  in  Berkshire  county,  Massa- 
chusetts, just  west  of  the  Hoosic  mountain  range,  or  Green 
mountains.  It  is  here,  that  the  rocks  of  the  system,  in  part, 
are  so  well  exhibited ;  though  the  western  flanks  of  the  Green 
mountain,  in  their  whole  length,  belong  to  the  series. 

Were  it  not  that  the  rocks  under  consideration  in  North- 
Carolina  can  be  referred  to  a  series  already  known,  described 
and  named,  I  should  confer  upon  them  some  other  title.  But 
as  it  is,  it  is  in  accordance  with  the  present  rule  of  geologists 
to  extend  a  given  name  to  all  the  rocks  of  that  epoch,  how- 
ever widely  they  may  be  separated.  Thus  we  may  recognize 
and  adopt  the  name  sihirian,  though  the  country  of  the  an- 
cient Silures  formed  only  a  part  of  Wales,  England.  West 
of  the  Blue  Ridge  we  have  the  evidence  of  continuity.  The 
taconic  system  which  flanks  the  Green  mountain,  extends 
southwards  to  the  Warm  Springs  of  Buncombe  county.  On 
the  east  side,  the  system,  traced  in  the  direction  of  its  strike, 
extends  into  Yirginia  and  Maryland.  We  see  no  more  of  it 
till  we  reach  Rhode  Island.  Whether  it  is  discontinued,  or  is 
overlaid  and  concealed  by  tertiary,  is  not  satisfactorily  de- 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  45 

termined.  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  dwell  upon  this  subject. 
It  became  necessary  to  state  those  facts  which  bear  upon  the  " 
question  respecting  the  period  to  which  these  sediments  be- 
lt)ng,  and  to  make  such  comparisons  of  them  with  formations 
at  a  distance,  and  whose  period  had  been  determined  as  one 
calculated  to  establish  a  correllation  with  them.  Whether 
an  exact  identity  is  established  or  not  may  not  appear  per- 
fectly satisfactory,  yet  I  think  there  can  be  but  one  opinion 
respecting  them,  viz,,. that  they  are  among  the  oldest  sedi- 
ments of  this  country,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  bottom 
rocks. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

The  Explanation  of  the  term  System.- — The  Determ,inatio7i  of 
Si/stems  did  not  take  place  in  the  order  of  their  Age. — The 
Results  which  have  heen  ohtained  l)y  the  Deterinination  of 
their  Order. — Species  feio  in  the  Oldest  Rocks. — Lithologi- 
cal  Character  of  the  Sediments  in  North- Carolina. 

§  55.  The  term  system  denotes  a  series  of  rocks  which  are 
linked  together  by  their  natural  history  characters.  The  ani- 
mals and  plants  of  the  series  are  confined  to  them  ;  they_ nei- 
ther occur  above  nor  below.  This  is  what  I  mean  by  natural 
history  characters.  The  rule  stated,  like  other  rules,  is  not 
absolute  nor  stringent.  It  allows  a  few  species  to  pass  be- 
yond the  limits  prescribed,  but  limits  them  as  a  whole ;  it  re- 
quires that  it  should  be  true,  in  the  same  country  especially. 
At  wide  distances,  however,  for  example  the  silurian  of  Eng- 
land and  America,  the  species  may  be  more  variable :  and 
the  identity  may  be  replaced  by  analogous  species  in  part. 
While  some  are  identical,  others  may  occur  which  are  analo- 
gous only  with  those  at  wide  distances  from  each  other.     The 


46  NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 

series,  however,  should  occupy  the  same,  or  nearly  the  same 
geological  horizon,  or  occur  in  the  same  relations,  No  one 
species  which  lived  in  the  beginning  of  a  period  necessarily 
lived  through  it ;  they  often  occupy  a  given  part,  or  are  con- 
fined to  the  base — the  middle  or  superior  part.  In  the  same 
series  at  a  distance,  a  given  species  which  occujjies  the  bot- 
tom of  a  system,  may  appear  later  in  the  same  system  at  a 
distance. 

§  56.  The  determination  of  systems  was  not  made  in  the 
order  of  their  age.  Geologists  did  not  first  determine  the 
bottom  rocks ;  for  example,  the  carboniferous  system  was 
made  out  long  before  the  devonian  or  silurian  ;  and  the  bot- 
tom rocks  are  really  the  last  w^hich  have  been  made  out. 
The  plainest  and  easiest  cases  were  first  made  out  and  distin- 
guished ;  but  each  determination  opened  the  way  for  subse- 
quent successful  labor  in  another  series.  The  order  in  v/hicli 
the  work  seems  to  have  progressed  was  in  the  descending 
order. 

§  57.  The  results  which  have  been  brought  to  light  by  the 
determination  of  systems  and  the  relations  they  occupy,  are 
interesting  and  even  important  in  an  economical  point  of 
view.  As  it  regards  the  order  of  creation,  it  is  found  that 
those  of  the  lowest  rank  only  belong  to  the  oldest,  while 
those  of  the  highest  rank  are  found  only  in  the  newest.  Ta- 
king the  whole  series  together,  progress  from  the  low  to  the 
high  is  clearly  established.  "We  may  expect  to  find,  then,  in 
the  bottom  rocks  of  North-Carolina,  only  the  lowest  forms  of 
organization. 

There  is  not  only  the  foregoing  facts"  to  be  noticed,  but  it 
should  be  mentioned  also,  that  we  can  expect  to  find  only  a 
few  species.  The  species  in  the  early  stages  of  life  were  lim- 
ited ;  the  individuals  may  have  been  numerous.  Species  are 
multiplied  in  the  later  stages.  These  are  general  facts  which 
have  been  determined  by  geologists. 

§  58.  Lithological  Characters. — I  have  already  spoken  of 
the  difficulty  which  I  experienced  in  determining  the  facts 
respecting  the  origin  of  the  slates  and  certam  rocks  associat- 
ed with  them.     At  first,  it  seemed  that  they  should  be  group- 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY.  ■  47 

ed  with  the  oldest  laminated  rocks,  the  talcose  and  mica  slates 
of  the  primary  series.  I  found,  however,  many  beds  among 
them  which  looked  like  sediments,  were  porphyrized  and 
somewhat  changed,  though  not  strictly  porphyries. 

I  found,  after  much  search  too,  beds  which  were  unequivo- 
cally pebbly ;  and  finally,  to  remove  all  doubt,  I  was  fortu- 
nate in  discovering  that  the  porphyrized  beds  also  frequently 
contained  pebbles ;  proving  most  conclusively  that  they  are 
sediments  which  were  partially  altered.  I  am  disposed,  from 
these  facts,  to  place  all  the  rocks  not  decidedly  igneous,  or 
all  which  are  stratified,  with  the  sediments.  It  is  generally 
easy  to  distinguish  the  porphyritic  greenstones  from  the  por- 
]3hyrized  beds  as  they  occur  in  the  formations  of  ISTorth-Caro- 
lina.  When,  however,  I  had  satisfied  myself  of  the  fact,  that 
these  rocks  were  changed,  as  I  have  stated,  the  most  serious 
difiiculties  in  the  way  of  their  determination  were  removed. 
I  state  the  foregoing,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  that  I  have 
not  been  hasty  in  locating  these  singular  formations.  It  is 
not,  however,  the  first  time  that  the  clay  slates  of  ISTorth- 
Carolina  have  been  described  as  sediments.  Profs.  Olmsted 
and  Mitchell  took  the  same  view  of  them,  although  they  did 
not  deem  it  necessary  to  state  the  grounds  on  which  they 
based  their  opinions.  But  I  have  carried  the  doctrine  far- 
ther, and  place  among  the  sediments  the  dark  bluish  green  , 
slates ;  those,  for  example,  of  gold  and  silver  hills,  and  the 
slates  which  .contain  the  iron  ore  beds  near  Smithfield,  John- 
ston county — as  well  as  those  of  Chatham  and  Kandolph 
counties.  I  am  now  prepared  to  say  that  the  slates  and  the 
associated  rocks  may  be  referred  to  the  taconic  system  ;  be- 
cause their  lithological  characters  and  their  relations  to  the 
older  rocks  below  them  require  it.  Assuming,  for  the  mo- 
ment, that  they  are  sediments,  we  are  obliged  to  look  about 
and  ascertain  their  relations  to  other  masses ;  and  finding  that 
the  members  of  the  slate  series  resemble  certain  slates  at  the 
north,  those  for  example  of  Berkshire  county,  Massachusetts, 
and  that  they,  too,  hold  similar  relations,  it  follows  that  the 
former  are  the  equivalent  of  the  latter.  In  each  district,  that 
of  Berkshire,  Massachusetts,  and  the  midland  counties  of 
North-Carolina,  the  same  talcose  aggregates,  with  interbeded 


48  NOETtt-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   StJKVEY. 

granular  quartz,  limestone,  etc.,  form  parallel  series.  So  al- 
so, the  clay  slates^,  beds  of  cliert,  brecciated  conglomerates, 
belong  to  eacli  respectively.  In  certain  places  too,  the  asso- 
ciated minerals  are  alike,  as  the  talcs,  tremolite,  hol'nstone, 
ferruginous,  quartz,  manganese,  etc.  The  granular  quartz  of 
]^orth-Carolina  is  undistinguishable  from  that  of  Berkshire, 
Massachusetts ;  examples  occur  at  Cotton  Stone  mountain, 
near  Troy,  Montgomery  county ;  Hillsborough,  in  Orange ; 
near  King's  mountain,  in  Gaston,  and  in  Lincoln  and  Ca-[ 
tawba  counties ;  also  in  Wake  county.  In  I^orth-Carolina, 
these  rocks  having  been  derived  from  sienitic  granites,  and 
having  also  been  changed  more  than  those  at  the  north,  ap- 
pear sometimes  quite  differently ;  and  in  certain  cases  it  is 
even  difficult  to  recognize  them. 

§  59.  The  basis  upon  which  their  recognition  rests,  is  main- 
ly their  lithological  characters,  and  the  relations  in  which 
they  are  placed  to  the  older  rocks,  and  those  which  they  sus- 
tain to  each  other.  We  cannot  avail  ourselves  of  the  evi- 
dence which  superimposed  rocks  might  give  us.  It  is  true, 
that  rocks  belonging  to  other  systems  repose  upon  them,  but 
they  do  not  belong  to  a  system  which  immediately  succeeds 
in  the  order  of  time,  as  the  silurian  ;  they  belong  to  the  per- 
mian  or  new  red  systems,  which  are  newer  than  the  carbo- 
niferous. I  have  no  doubt  all  well  informed  geoloorists  will 
unite  with  me  in  placing  these  rocks  at  the  base  of  the  sedi- 
ments, and  yet  it  is  not  safe  to  infer  that  the  question  of  age 
is  entirely  settled ;  for  it  is  not  known  what  may  turn  up  in 
the  future,  or  what  change  may  be  required  by  subsequent 
discoveries. 

Fossils  exist  in  a  part  of  the  northern  series  belonging  to 
the  taconic  system,  and  I  have,  the  last  year,  discovered  fos- 
sils also  in  the  lower  series  in  North-Carolina.  But  this  dis- 
covery does  not  require  a  change  of  opinion  respecting  the 
age  of  these  rocks ;  it  cannot  change  their  relations ;  it  is  on- 
ly extending  the  boundaries  of  life  beyond  what  had  been 
previously  determined.  This  is  to  be  expected ;  and  it  indi- 
cated that  the  field  of  discovery  has  not  been  fully  explored, 
and  that  we  may  hope  more  light  may  yet  be  shed  upon  the 
earliest  inhabitants  of  the  globe. 


NORTH-OAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUBVET. 


49 


CHAPTER  X. 

Members  of  the  Taconic  System — Division  into  ujpjper  a/nd 
lower — Minerals  give  Character  to  the  Rock  they  form  in 
certain  cases — Mica  and  Talcose  Slates — Agalmatolite — 
Quartz  am^d  its  associates — Fossils^  etc. 

§  60.  Having  stated  the  reasons  at  length,  for  placing  the 
slate  and  its  associated  rocks  in  the  taconic  system,  I  proceed 
to  describe  the  individual  members  of  the  series.  In  the 
first  place,  however,  I  propose  to  divide  them  into  lower  and 
upper  series.  This  division  is  clearly  indicated  in  the  nor- 
thern equivalents,  but  this  distinction  is  less  obvious  in  North- 
Carolina.  The  loioer  series  will  contain  the  talcose  slates, 
white  and  brown  sandstone,  or  quartz,  which  is  frequently 
vitrified  or  cherty,  and  the  granular  limestone  and  associated 
slates. 

The  topper  will  contain  the  green  clay  slates  novaculite, 
the  argillaceous,  and  sometimes  chloritic  sandstones  or  grits, 
and  the  breciated  conglomerates. 

1st.  Talcose  Slates. — The  composition  of  these  slates  does  not  differ  materi- 
ally from  those  which  belong  to  the  primary  series.  They  are  made  up  of  talc  and 
fine  grains  of  quartz,  the  talc  greatly  predominating;  this  is  the  rule,  but  exceptions 
occur  where  quartz  predominates,  when  the  rock  becomes  a  friable  sandstone.  The 
color  and  lustre  are  silvery  when  chlorite  is  absent,  bluish  green  when  present. 

A  peculiarity  which  may  be  recorded  as  confined  to  this  rock,  is  its  wrinkled  or 
corrugated  lamina.  This  variety  is  always  bright  and  silvery,  and  is,  hencCj  the  far- 
thest removed  from  the  common  earthy  texture  which  sediments  exhibit. 

The  talcose  slates  may  be  regarded  as  the  bottom  rocks, 
the  oldest  sediments  which  we  can  recognize,  and  in  which, 
probably,  no  organic  remains  will  be  found.  They  preserve 
the  aspect  of  the  parent  rock.  This  may  be  easily  accounted 
for ;  talc  is  a  foliated  mineral,  and  when  it  is  abraded  does 
not  become  firm  and  granular  like  a  particle  of  quartz,  lime- 
stone, or  even  argillite,  and  as  it  does  not  decompose  readily, 
it  is  simply  divided  or  split,  and  retains  its  properties.  When, 
therefore,  a  rock  is  reformed  from  talcose  slate,  a  mass  is  re- 
4 


50  NOETH-CAEOLmA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

produced  similar  to  the  parent  rock  whicli  furnished  the  ma- 
terial. So  a  mica  slate  reproduces  a  mica  slate,  as  it  merely 
splits,  and  hence  preserves  all  its  characters  as  a  mineral,  and 
transmits  them  to  the  rock  which  it  forms. 

In  each  case  the  only  difference  which  can  be  detected  is 
the  finer  grain  of  the  regenerated  rock.  It  is  next  to  impos- 
sible to  pulverize  or  granulate  in  a  mortar  mica  or  talc ;  es- 
pecially the  former.  We  see,  then,  why  these  sediments,  de- 
rived from  the  primary  talcose  slates,  must  necessarily  re- 
semble them,  though  they  have  been,  as  it  were,  pulverized, 
and  the  particles  re-united.  Illustrations  of  the  fact  may  be 
observed  in  the  schists  of  the  coal  series.  So  perfect  are 
these  imitations  in  the  undisputed  sediments,  that  were  the 
specimens  seen  only  in  a  cabinet,  they  would  be  referred  to 
the  primary  series  ;  and  if  they  recur  in  the  coal  series,  it  is 
by  no  means  strange  that  they  are  common  to  the  oldest 
known  sediments. 

In  order  to  distinguish  the  sedimentary  schists  from  the 
primary,  we  may  avail  ourselves  of  tlie  presence  of  the  asso- 
ciated rocks  in  each  case.  Thus  in  the  sediments  the  associ- 
ated rocks  are  fine  talcose  slates,  quartz,  and  conglomerates 
somewhere  in  the  series.  In  the  primary,  rather  coarse  tal- 
cose slate,  with  mica  slate,  hornblende  and  gneiss ;  without 
conglomerates  or  pebble  beds;  it  is  true,- hornblendish  trap 
may  occur  among  the  former,  especially  where  limestone  is  a 
member.  Its  presence  makes  the  question  more  diflScult  to 
solve,  where  pebbly  beds  are  absent. 

Many  geologists  take  a  different  view  of  these  rocks,  and 
of  the  pheiTomina  under  consideration.  They  apply  the  term 
mtaonorjjhic,  which  means  altered  rocks.  But  I  believe  I 
have  presented  the  simplest  and  plainest  view  of  the  subject. 
It  is  unnecessary  to  encumber  the  explanation  by  assump- 
tions, when  we  can  give  a  consistent  reason  for  the  phnome- 
na  in  question. 

§  61.  Quartz  rocks,  white  or  brown  and  gray  sandstones. — 
The  associated  rock  of  the  talcose  slates  is  a  quartz  rock  which 
occurs  under  a  great  variety  of  colors  and  conditions. 


NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET.  61 

The  following  varieties  have  been  observed  in  North- 
Carolina  : 

1.  A  fine  grained  coherent  quartz — Montgomery  and  Orange  counties. 

2.  A  fine  grained  friable  quartz,  which  may  be  crushed  in  the  hand ;  when  tolera- 
bly firm,  it  is  a  good  fire  stone — Lincoln  county. 

3.  A  fine  grained  micaceous  and  talcose  quartz;  the  texture  is  tolerably  firm,  and 
as  it  splits  well,  it  makes  a  tine  fire  stone — Graphite  Locality,  Wake  county ;  also 
Lincoln  county. 

4.  Vitrified  quartz,  or  chert — Montgomery,  Lincoln,  Orange.  Davidson  and  Kan- 
dolph  counties. 

a.  Green  blue  varieties.  ■ 

5,  Agatized. 

5.  A  cherty  and  apparently  porphyrized  quartz,  which  contains  felspar,  which  de- 
composes and  leaves  a  rough  porous  mass  similar  to  a  burrhstone — Montgomery 
county. 

6.  Pebbly  and  semi-breciated  quartz — Montgomery  county. 

7.  Common  brown  quartz  of  various  colors — Orange  county. 

This  rock  is  readily  recognized,  first,  by  noting  its  position, 
and  second,  by  its  mineralogical  characters.  It  is  associated 
with  the  primary  looking  talcose  slates.  It  is  repeated  two 
or  three  times,  the  masses  being  separated  from  each  other 
by  the  talcose  slates. 

It  frequently  contains  beds  of  pebbles.  But  its  most  in- 
teresting feature  appears  in  its  passage  into  hornstone,  chert, 
of  the  English,  or  flint  of  the  American  .miners.  The  term 
flint,  however,  is  applied  to  many  varieties  of  quartz ;  thus, 
smoky  and  milky  quartz,  as  well  as  the  compact  cherty  vari- 
eties, are  called  flint.  The  vitrified  quartz  or  chert,  cannot 
be  regarded  as  always  an  igneous  product,  but  rather  as  a 
deposit  of  silica  from  chemical  solution.  It  is  true  the  solu- 
tion may  have  had  an  elevated  temperature  at  the  time  the 
supposed  solution  was  made ;  but,  facts  do  not  seem  to  sus- 
tain the  opinion  that  after  the  silica  or  sand,  it  may  be  one  or 
the  other,  was  deposited,  it  was  subjected  to  a  heat  sufiicient 
to  vitrify  it.  The  granular  unvitrified  quartz,  the  sandstones 
proper,  is  usually  found  at  the  bottom ;  while  the  superior 
are  more  or  less  vitrified,  sometimes  losing  merely  their  gran- 
ular structure ;  in  others,  the  mass  has  become  perfectly  vit- 
rified. 

An  intermediate  variety,  an  argillaceous  hornstone,  has  a 


02  KOKTH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL    SUETET. 

Made  range  in  North-Carolina.  It  is  known  in  some  parts  of 
tlie  State  as  a  mountain  slate,  though  its  slaty  characters  are 
poorly  preserved.  It  does  not  necessarily  occur  upon  the 
mountains,  as  its  name  seems  to  impl3^  Its  name  was  sug- 
gested by  the  curious  shape  of  the  outcropping  mass,  which 
rises  up  like  a  military  hat,  forming  a  sharp  arched  summit, 
and  a  long  narrow  base.  These  are  sometimes  eight  feet 
high,  and  they  are  frequently  so  numerous  that  the  fields  can- 
not be  cultivated.  It  is  next  to  impossible  to  break  them 
down ;  they  are  the  toughest  of  all  rocks.  The  Three  Hat 
mountain,  in  Davidson  county,  is  nearly  covered  with  thera< 
But  these  cherty  rocks  do  not  belong  to  the  lower  division  of 
this  series  exclusively.  It  is  found  in  all  parts  of  the  series. 
It  is  more  abundant  south,  than  in  the  parallel  series  at  the 
north.  The  cherty  beds  belong  both  to  the  lower  and  upper 
taconic  rocks,  and  it  is  interesting  to  find  that  they  are  by  no 
means  local.  In  Washington  county,  New  York,  there  is  a 
continuous  bed  of  black  chert  more  than  a  hundred  feet 
thick.  It  is  still  more  abundant  near  Troy,  Montgomery 
county.     It  is  also  common  on  the  north  shore  of  Lake  Huron. 

BuTrhstone. — The  cherty  variety  is  frequently  porphyritic. 
The  felspar  imbedded  in  the  mass  decomposes,  leaving  the 
rock  in  a  rough  vesicular  state.  If  fine,  it  resembles  the 
burrhstone  of  Paris  ;  and  as  it  is  exceedingly  toiigh  and  hard, 
it  seems  as  if  it  was  well  adapted  for  grinding  grains,  or 
might  be  used  for  mill-stones.  It  is  very  extensive  in  beds 
as  well  as  in  detached  masses,  and  may  be  raised  cheaply. 
Its  toughness  and  hardness  combined,  indicates  that  it  will 
require  well  tempered  tools  for  working  it.  Montgomery 
county  can  furnish  enough  to  supply  the  entire  country. 

§  62.  Agalmatolite — The  White  Slates,  or  as  usually  re- 
garded as  a  Soapstone — Steatite,  etc. — A  rock,  which  occurs 
in  extensive  beds,  and  known  in  the  localities  where  it  is 
found  as  a  soapstone,  can  by  no  means  be  placed  properly  with 
the  magnesian  minerals.  It  is  truly  the  figure  stone  of  the 
Chinese,  and  is  known  to  mineralogists  under  the  name  of 
agalmatolite.  This  mineral  had  never  been  observed  in  this 
country,  or  had  not  been  recognized  until  I  made  the  deter- 


NORTH-CAKOLINA    GEOLOGICAL    SUBVEY. 


53 


mination  last  year.  The  first  beds  which  I  examined  are  at 
Hancock's  mills,  on  Deep  river.  I  have  subsequently  found 
it  in  fine  white  beds  near  Troy,  Montgomery  county.  It  is 
white,  slaty,  or  compact  translucent,  and  has  the  common 
soapy  feel  of  the  soapstones,  and  resembles  it  so  closely  to 
the  eye  and  feel,  that  it  would  pass  in  any  market  for  this 
rock.  It  has,  however,  a  finer  texture,  and  is  somewhat 
harder ;  but  it  may  be  scratched  by  the  nail,  so  that  it  ranks 
with  softest  of  minerals :  it  scratches  talc,  and  is  not  itself 
scratched  by  it ;  it  is  infusible  before  the  blowpipe,  and  with 
nitrate  of  cobalt  gives  an  intensely  blue  colored  enamel, 
proving  thereby  the  presence  of  alumina  in  place  of  magnesia. 
§  63.  Agalmatolite  and  steatite  or  soapstone,  have  the 
following  compositions : 


AgahnatoUte. 

Steatite. 

Silica, 

49.81 

42.32 

Magnesia, 

25.68 

Alumina, 

29.59 

Lime, 

6.00 

16.96 

Prot.  oxide  of  iron. 

1.50 

9.38 

Potash, 

6.80 

Water, 

6.50    Thompson, 

1.08    Thompson, 

99.10 


100.10 


The  beds  of  Agalmatolite  are  frequently  snow  white,  as  at 
Hancock's  mills  they  are  also  greenish  or  yellowish  white, 
usually  with  a  very  close  grain  and  uneven  fracture,  and  dif- 
ficult to  break,  or  tough.  They  are  white  and  greenish  white 
near  Troy.  At  Hancock's,  certain  beds  are  filled  with  im- 
perfect crystals  of  magnetic  iron. 

The  rock  does  not  split  readily  with  gunpowder ;  when 
quarried  in  this  mode,  as  at  Hancock's,  it  breaks  out  in  ill- 
shapen  shattered  masses.  Hence  it  should  be  cut  out  with  a 
sharp  pick,  or  an  edged  instrument  of  a  suitable  form.  This 
mineral  no  doubt  takes  the  place  of  steatite  in  the  taconic 
system.  Although  not  a  soapstone,  yet  it  is  adapted  and 
may  be  applied  to  the  same  uses,  and  it  seems  to  fulfil  all  the 
purposes  of  this  rock — as  a  lining  for  stoves,  chimney  backs, 
mantel  pieces,  etc.    It  is  not  adapted  to  the  business  of  adul- 


54  NOETH-CAEOLmA   GEOLOGICAL   STLRVEY. 

terating  paints,  as  it  becomes,  when  mixed  witli  oil,  translu- 
cent and  greenish.  It  is  a  good  substitute  for  chalk  as  a  cos- 
metic, its  powder  being  perfectly  white  and  soft. 

The  agalmatolite,  near  Hancock's  mills,  and  sometimes 
called  Womack's  soapsone,  is  associated  with  the  following 
layers,  enumerating  them  from  beneath  and  upwards : 

1.  Massive  green  slates.  2.  Thin  bedded  green  slates.  3.  Sandy  slates  or  quartz 
4.  Thin  bedded  green  slate.  5.  Quartzite.  6.  Ferruginous  porphyry,  or  iron 
breccia.  7.  Agalmatolite  beds.  8.  The  same,  Tvith  dissemated  magnetic  iron. 
9.  Agalmatolite  in  white  massive  beds,  between  tive  and  six  hundred  feet  thick. 

The  section  embraces  a  series  extending  about  half  a  mile. 
It  appears  that  the  agalmatolite  belongs  to  the  series  very 
near  the  base  of  the  system,  coming  in  very  near  the  quartz. 
It  occurs  in  this  position  in  Montgomery  county. 

This  rock,  on  being  heated  to  redness  preserves  its  hard- 
ness, whitens,  and  scarcely  exfoliates  when  its  cleavage  planes 
are  exposed  directly  to  the  fire.  So  far  as  my  experiments 
go,  it  is  as  refractory  in  the  fire  as  soapstone.  When  its 
edges  are  placed  to  the  fire,  it  is  a  perfect  fire-stone.  Its 
proportions  indicate  that  it  may  be  a  valuable  material  for 
porcelain,  composed  as  it  is  of  silex  and  alumina,  and  pro- 
vided it  is  free  from  iron  and  manganese. 

§  64.  Limestone. — ^The  discovery  of  limestone  in  IS'orth- 
Oarolina  has  been  one  of  the  great  desideratums  of  the  sur- 
vey. Its  apparent  absence  from  this  series  could  not  be  ac- 
counted for  very  satisfactorily,  because  it  is  elsewhere  present 
with  very  few  exceptions.  It  will,  however,  turn  out,  I  now 
.believe,  to  be  present  in  its  true  position,  though  far  less 
prominent  than  it  usually  is.  For  example,  I  have  discov- 
ered traces  of  it  on  a  line  extending  from  near  the  west  bor- 
der of  Montgomery  county,  towards  Ashborough,  in  Ran- 
dolph county.  The  belt  which  I  suppose  may  exist  has  come 
•to  light  very  recently.*     As  this  rock  occupies  the  lowest 


*  The  limestone  which  was  said  to  occur  near  Asheborough,  is  a  soapstone ;  but 
this  belt  is  upon  the  range  in  which  it  should  occur. 


I 
NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  55 

valleys,  and  as  tlie  debris  of  the  rocks  remain  in  place,  the 
difficulty  of  finding  it  will  be  understood. 

The  limestone  of  King's  mountain  is  dark  and  slaty  at  the 
place  which  came  under  my  own  observation.  In  Lincoln 
county  and  Catawba  it  is  white,  fine  and  even  grained,  and 
fit,  provided  large  blocks  can  be  obtained,  for  statuary.  The 
King's  mountain  and  Lincoln  belt  belong  to  the  same  series ; 
but  whether  the  Germanton  limestone  at  Bolejack's  belongs 
to  it,  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  determine.  It  is  on  or  very 
nearly  upon  the  same  range,  but  I  believe,  from  the  informa- 
tion I  have,  that  it  is  a  laminated  limestone,  associated  with 
gneiss  and  mica  slate,  and  hence  belongs  to  another  series. 

The  position  of  the  limestone  is  variable.  It  sometimes 
rests  upon  one  of  the  beds  of  quartz,  though  a  bed  of  slate 
frequentl-^hes  between  them.  Slate  resembling  that  associ- 
ated with  quartz  is  nevdr  absent.  Talc  and  tremolite  are 
usually  present ;  the  former  always. 

The  foregoing  rocks  make  up  the  lower  series  of  the  tacon- 
ic  system,  embracing,  1.  Beds  of  talcose  slates ;  2.  Quartz 
rocks  with  their  alternating  series  of  talcose  slates ;  3.  Beds 
of  agalmatolite  ;  4.  Limestone  with  its  interlaminated  slates. 

It  will  be  seen  that  slates  are  associated  with  all  these  rocks  ; 
they  predominate,  and '  hence  the  other  masses  might  be  re- 
garded as  subordinate  beds. 

In  the  slates  associated  with  the  limestone  we  find  the  talc 
replaced  by  argillite,  and  they  begin  to  be  purplish  and  some- 
times firm,  and  sufficiently  fissile  to  form  good  roofing  slate. 

§  65.  Distribution  of  the  lower  masses. — As  the  rocks  are 
now  arranged  in  the  State,  it  is  necessary  to  regard  them  as 
distributed  in  four  belts.  Beginning  on  the  east,  in  Johnston 
county,  I  find  a  belt  of  quartz  and  slates  traversing  a  zone 
from  N.  25°-30°  E.  to  S.  25°-30°  W.  The  quartz  which  is 
the  most  prominent  member  of  the  series  here,  crosses  the 
road  four  miles  west  of  Smithfield.  This  zone  extends  to 
"Weldon  and  Gaston. 

The  dip  is  south  east.  The  belt  is  very  much  concealed 
by  the  sands  of  this  region,  and  very  limited  portions  only 


56  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEr. 

appear.    It  seems  to  take  tlie  south  east  dip,  in  consequence 
of  its  relation  to  the  granite  which  borders  it  on  the  west.\ 

The  second,  is  a  belt  which  traverses  Wake  county.  The 
quartz  is  a  beautiful  white  or  brown  friable  sandstone.  It  dips 
north  west.  It  lies  immediately  above  the  beds  of  graphite. 
The  third,  traverses  Montgomery,  Randolph,  Orange  and 
Granville  counties.  Pilot  and  Brogden  mountains,  Randolph 
county,  the  range  of  hills  west  and  north  west  of  Hillsbo- 
rough, lie  in  this  range.  The  fourth  belt  passes  from  near 
King's  mountain,  in  Gaston  county,  running  on  the  hne  of 
Cleaveland  county,  pas^s  on  to  Lincoln  county,  crosses  the 
road  about  five  or  six  miles  east  of  Lincolnton,  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Sherrill's  ford.  It  appears,  that  beyond  the  Catawba, 
in  the  direction  indicated,  the  series  is  concealed. 

These  four  belts  are  founded  upon  the  presence  of  the 
quartz  rock,  which  will  be  found  upon  the  ranges  indicated. 
It  is  not  always  a  prominent  rock,  and  it  is  easy  to  overlook 
it  even  at  many  places  where  it  comes  to  the  surface.  These 
belts  resemble  each  other  in  the  arrangement  of  all  the  indi- 
vidual rocks ;  they  are  placed  relatively  alike.  In  the  first 
and  fourth  belt,  there  is  much  less  hornstone  or  flint  than  in 
the  second  and  third.  A  question  may  arise  respecting  the 
cause  which  has  disconnected  and  separated  the  four  parallel 
belts  belonging  to  one  series  and  one  epoch.  It  is  evident 
that  there  was  in  operation  a  uniformity  with  respect  to  the 
agents  connected  with  their  formation,  and  probably  also,  as 
it  regards  the  source  from  whence  the  materials  were  derived. 

We  obtain  some  light  upon  these  questions,  by  finding  how 
the  ranges  of  the  system  he.  It  appears  that  the  basis  rock 
of  the  whole  country  is  granite,  which  has  been  described ; 
and  an  inspection  of  the  topography  o±  the  country  favors 
the  view,  that  all  these  belts  lie  in  troughs.  There  is,  how- 
ever, nothing  which  is  inconsistent  with  the  idea,  that  these 
belts  were  once  connected  and  continuous ;  and  that  their 
separation  has  taken  place  in  consequence  of  changes  of  level 
efi'ected  through  a  subterranean  agency.  The  eastern  belt  is 
thrown  off  so  as  to  dip  to  the  south  east ;  while  the  othei-s 
dip  to  the  north  west.     Between  the  first  and  second  there  is 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  Oi 

a  belt  of  granite ;  on  tlie  east  side  of  it  tlie  dip  is  in  one  di- 
rection, and  on  the  west  it  is  in  a  directly  opposite  one.  A 
belt  of  granite  separates  also  the  third  and  fourth  belts  of 
the  taconic  system ;  both  belts,  however,  dip  steadily  to  the 
north  west. 

§  Q6.  Origin  of  the  materials  composing  this  ielt. — An  at- 
tentive examination  of  the  mineral  characters  of  the  indi- 
vidual rocks,  proves  that  the  materials  were  mostly  derived 
from  the  granite  already  described. 

Particles  of  felspar  are  distinguished  readily,  where  the 
rocks  are  coarse.  In  certain  beds  of  close  grained  hornstone, 
it  is  evident  the  rock  is  not  simple,  as  decomposition  shows 
the  presence  of  felspar,  although,  in  a  fresh  fracture,  the  rock 
is  homogeneous. 

Both  the  quartz  and  felspar  of  the  granite' are  distinguisha- 
ble in  the  breciated  conglomerates.  Another  fact  sustains 
this  view,  viz..  That  the  materials  were  derived  from  the 
granite  and  adjacent  rocks ;  it  is  the  presence  of  gold  in  beds, 
which  of  course  must  have  been  commingled  with  the  sedi- 
ments at  the  time  these  rocks  were  deposited.  The  gold  ex- 
ists mostly  in  the  western  belt  of  granite  in  the  veins  belong- 
ing to  the  hornblende  and  gneiss  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  The 
distribution  of  the  gold  is,  however,  unequal.  We  do  not 
discover  it  in  the  eastern  belt,  and  it  appears  that  this  metal 
has  not  yet  been  discovered  in  the  Wake  county  belt  of 
granite,  or  its  associated  rocks,  gneiss  and  hornblende.  In 
the  Lincoln  and  Davidson  counties,  the  belt  of  the  taconic 
system,  gold  is  common  in  the  beds  of  its  slates ;  showing 
that  the  materials  were  derived,  most  probably,  from  the  pri- 
mary rocks  of  the  neighborhood. 

§  67.  In  the  foregoing  pages,  I  have  scarcely  referred  to  the 
taconic  system  beyond  the  Blue  Ridge  ;  and  now  I  speak  of 
it,  for  the  purpose  of  saying,  in  general  terms,  that  the  series 
traverse  the  western  borders  of  the  slate  ;  and  is  in  part  rep- 
resented at  the  Warm  Springs,  in  Buncombe  county,  where 
the  massive  quartz  rock  presents  a  most  imposing  appear- 
ance.   The  series  is  composed  of  the  same  rocks  as  upon  the 


L.C.. 


58  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

eastern  side  of  the  Bine  Eidge,  but  on  the  west,  it  is  developed 
upon  a  much  larger  scale. 

These  rocks  will  furnish  matter  for  a  future  communica- 
tion. It  will  appear,  therefore,  that  the  taconic  system  in 
North-Carolina  really  forms  five  distinct  bands  or  belts ;  the 
most  important,  geologically,  is  the  western  one  ;  though,  in 
an  economical  point  of  view,  those  of  the  midland  counties 
are  the  most  important. 

§  68.  It  is  important  to  describe,  with  greater  exactitude, 
the  boundaries  of  the  belts  of  this  system  of  sediments. 
Their  concealment  by  soil  and  sands  and  border  rocks,  ren- 
ders this  a  difficult  if  not  an  impossible  task.  Thus  the  east- 
ern belt,  an  outcrop  of  which  appears  four  miles  west  of 
Smithfi eld.  is  never  elevated  into  high  ridges  or  hills;  it  is 
generally  concealed.  Its  slates  crop  out  in  small  and  distant 
patches.  Thus,  low  ridges  of  the  slates  appear  near  the 
Roanoke  at  Gaston  ;  also  at  Halifax.  In  crossing  the  coun- 
try from  Weldon  through  Enfield  to  Belford,  they  frequently 
appear.  This  rout  crosses  the  belt  oblique^3^  We  know  that 
Belford  is  the  western  limit.  On  the  east  the  series  is  ex- 
posed in  part  at  Boon  Hill,  and  occasionally  appears  on  the 
route  to  Waynesborough  from  Smithfield.  Enough  is  exhib- 
ited to  prove  the  existence  of  this  series  in  this  part  of  the 
State.  The  Wake  county  belt  is  exposed  over  larger  areas 
than  the  first.  It  skirts  the  sandstone  of  the  coal  series  from 
Kichmond  to  Granville  county.  It  lies  between  the  granite 
on  the  east,  and  the  sandstone  on  the  west ;  the  latter  is  evi- 
dently in  a  trough  of  the  slates,  and  both  sandstones  and 
slates  in  a  trough  of  the  granite.  On  the  west  it  dips  be- 
neath the  sandstone  referred  to,  and  emerges  from  beneath 
it  on  an  irregular  line,  running  north  east  and  south  west. 
The  quartz  and  lower  slates  of  this  belt  pass  three  miles  west 
of  Raleigh.  The  eastern  edge  will  be  found  within  three 
hundred  feet  of  the  graphite  deposits.  A  wide  belt  of  this 
series  is  concealed  beneath  the  sandstone.  The  upper  mem- 
bers emerge  from  beneath,  towards  Pittsborough. 

The  lower  members  of  the  third  belt  may  be  traced  across 
the  State.     Beginning  in  Montgomery  county,  near  Ti'oy, 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEYEY.  69 

the  quartz  and  accompanying  slates  pass  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Frankhnsville,  Hillsborough,  Red  mountain,  and  across  the 
north  west  corner  of  Granville  county ;  near  and  on  the  east 
of  Grillis'  copper  mine,  where  the  slate  conglomerates,  it  is 
one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  thick.  South  westward  from  Troy 
the  formation  is  again  concealed  by  sandstone  and  sands. 
The  dip  is  north  west,  and  the  upper  members  of  the  system 
make  a  strong  show  at  the  Narrows  of  the  Yadkin  and  five 
miles  above  at  Milledgeville.  The  upper  members  are  re- 
peated near  Gold  Plill.  Granite  becomes  the  prevailing  rock 
in  this  direction.  The  Gold'  Hill  breccias  which  crop  out  east 
of  the  Troutman  mine  or  vein,  well  known  in  the  vicinity, 
passes  onward  to  Brinckel's  Ferry.  These  singular  breccias 
pursue  the  route  to  the  Three  Hat  mountain  in  Davidson 
county,  where  the  high  range  of  these  coarse  rocks  disappear. 
The  third  belt  is  wider  than  the  second ;  its  area  is,  however, 
made  up  of  both  the  second  and  third  belts. 

The  fourth  belt  passing  fi-om  the  vicinity  of  King's  mountain 
through  parts  of  Gaston  and  Lincoln  counties,  has  been  al- 
ready traced  out.  It  passes  along  the  iron  ore  bands,  which 
accompany  the  belt  just  to  the  east  of  it.  This  belt  occupies 
less  breadth  than  either  of  the  preceding.  It  seems  to  be  a 
spur  of  rocks  which  come  from  a  much  wider  belt  in  South- 
Carolina,  and  the  inferences  derived  from  the  most  important 
facts  indicate  its  discontinuance  near  the  Catawba,  in  the  vi- 
cinity of  Sherrill's  ford. 

The  geographical  distribution,  as  given  in  the  foregoing 
pages,  applies  only  to  the  great  body  of  these  rocks.  We 
often  meet  stripes  of  the  slates  perfectly  separated  from  the 
main  body  of  the  belts  desoi'ibed  in  the  granite.  Thus  two 
miles  east  of  Salisbury  there  is  a  belt  of  slate,- about  a  mile- 
and-a-half  wide,  crossing  the  road  leading  to  Gold  Hill;  so, 
near  Roxborough,  in  Person  county,  thei'e  are  two  narrow 
belts  lying  in  the  granite,  one  on  the  east,  and  another  on 
the  west  side  of  the  town. 


60  NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY. 


CHAPTEE  XL 

Fossils  of  the  lower  Taconio  Series. 

§  69.  A  few  years  only  have  passed  since  geologists  have 
turned  their  attention  to  the  bottom  rocks,  with  the  view  of 
determining  the  beds  of  rocks  or  the  horizon  where  organic 
remains  first  appeared ;  or,  if  we  follow  the  rocks  from  the 
upper  to  the  lower  beds,  where  they  disappear.  It  has  been 
supposed  that  these  fossils  would  possess  more  interest  than 
those  of  subsequent  periods,  on  the  ground  alone  that  they 
were  the  first  creations ;  and  hence,  bear  more  directly  on 
the  solution  of  questions  relative  to  progress,  which  may  be 
observed  running  through  the  entire  series  of  fossils  of  the 
sediments  from  the  oldest  to  the  newest.  Having  before 
them  the  extremes  as  well  as  the  middle  term,  the  compari- 
son would  be  more  exact  and  satisfactory.  All  this  is  no 
doubt  true,  and  it  is  believed  that  the  first  created  beings 
will  possess  not  only  an  interest  for  the  geologist,  but  for  all 
who  feel  any  interest  in  subjects  of  this  kind. 

§  70.  It  is  now  a  settled  point,  that  the  palaeozoic  base,  or 
the  horizon  where  fossils  first  appear,  is  not  in  the  silurian 
system.  But,  as  I  have  already  remarked,  the  progress  of 
determination  of  systems  has  been  in  the  descending  order ; 
so,  it  would  seem  the  discoveries  of  fossils  have  been  in  the 
same  direction ;  that  is,  new  discoveries  are  being  made  in 
the  oldest  rocks  where  fossils  were  not  previously  suspected. 
Discoveries  of  this  kind  must  of  course  terminate  with  the 
sediments ;  and  as  there  can  remain  scarcely  a  doubt  of  our 
having  reached  the  sedimentary  base,  so  we  must  find  in 
these  lower  masses  the  palseozoic  base  also. 

The  discoveries  which  I  have  made  during  the  last  year  are 
in  accordance  with  the  foregoing  observations.  I  had  sup- 
posed that  the  palseozoic  base  was  in  the  upper  taconic  rocks : 
but  I  found  in  the  sandstone  and  clierty  beds  at  Troy,  Mont- 
gomery county,  two  or  three  species  of  fossils,  which  were 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  61 

• 

not  only  unknown  as  organic  remains,  but  were  in  rocks  not 
before  suspected  of  containing  fossils  at  all.  These  fossils  be- 
long to  the  class  of  zoophites,  the  lowest  organization  in  the 
animal  kingdom. 

In  Massachusetts,  the  lower  taconic  rocks  have  been  exam^ 
ined  with  considerable  care,  but  no  discoveries  of  this  kind 
have  as  yet  been  made.  Such  a  result  may  appear  to  con- 
flict with  what  has  been  laid  down  respecting  the  character- 
istics of  systems ;  or  that  there  has  been  an  error  committed 
in  the  determination  of  the  rock  in  which  these  fossils  occur. 
That  I  may  throw  all  the  light  possible  upon  this  question,  I 
shall  give  the  following  descriptive  section  of  the  rocks  and 
beds  in  which  I  found  them.  The  enumeration  is  in  the  as- 
cending order : 

1.  Talcose  slates,  passing  into  silicious  slates,  and  which  are  often  obscurely  brec- 
ciated.     Thickness  undetermined. 

2  Brecciated  conglomerates,  three  hundred  to  four  hundred  feet  thick,  and  some- 
times porphyrized. 

3.  Slaty  breccia,  associated  with  hornstone. 

4.  Granular  quartz,  sometimes  vitreous,  and  filled  with  fossils  and  silicious  concre- 
tions of  the  size  of  almonds ;  two  to  three  hundred  feet  thick. 

5.  Slaty  quartzite,  with  a  very  few  fossils,  about  fifty  feet  thick. 

6.  Slate  without  fossils;  forty  feet  thick. 

7.  White  quartz,  more  or  less  vitrified,  filled  with  fossils  and  concretions;  seven 
to  eight  hundred  feet  thick. 

8.  Jointed  granular  quartz,  with  only  a  few  fossils. 

9.  Vitrified  quartz,  without  fossils;  thirty  feet  thick, 

10.  Granular  quartz,  no  fossils,  and  thickness  very  great,,  but  not  determined. 

It  will  be  observed  that  the  fossils  extend  through  about  one 
thousand  feet  of  rock,  some  beds  of  which  consist  almost  en- 
tirely of  them,  and  intermixed  with  silicious  concretions  which 
are  almond  shaped,  and  which  frequently  contain  the  fossil. 
I  suspect  that  the  silicious  concretion  may  have  been  formed 
in  consequence  of  some  organic  body,  as  it- is  obscurely  struc- 
tural, but  I  have  attributed  it  to  crystallization,  or  to  a  mo- 
lecular force. 

The  fossils  are  corals  of  a  lenticular  form,  varying  in  size 
from  a  small  pea  to  two  inches  in  diameter. 


62 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUKNEY. 


Figs.  3,  4  and  5. 


Figures  3  and  4  and  5  have  the  form  of  the  smallest.  Its 
generic  character  is  contained  in  the  following : 

Form  lenticular  and  circular,  and  similar  to  a  iiattish  dou- 
ble cone  applied  base  to  base ;  surfaces  grooved  and  grooves 
somewhat  irregular,  but  extending  from  near  apex  to  the  cir- 
cumference or  edge ;  apex  of  the  inferior  side,  excavated  or 
provided  with  a  small  roundish  cavity,  with  a  smooth  inside, 
or  sometimes  marked  by  light  ridges,  which  may  be  acci- 
dental ;  opposite  side  supplied  with  a  small  rounded  knob, 
from  the  base  of  which  the  radiating  grooves  begin. 

The  name  which  I  propose  for  this  new  genus  is  Palceotro- 
chis  •  old  messenger.  The  specific  name,  minor,  will  be  appro- 
priate, as  this  is  one  of  the  constant  lesser  forms  of  the  fossil. 
The  name  in  full,  therefore,  stands  Palceotrochis  minor.  Fi- 
gures 3,  4,  5,  exhibit  it  in  a  different  position  and  condition. 

Figures  5  and  6.  This  large  variety,  or  as  I  beheve  spe- 
cies, differs  from  the  foregoing  in  the  absence  of  the  roundish 
apical  depression  of  the  lower  side,  and  the  knob  of  the  op- 
posite side  ;  both  species  aj)pear  to  terminate  in  obtuse  points. 
At  first,  I  su]3posed  these  forms  may  have  been  the  results  of 
age,  but  as  they  are  constant,  or  apppear  to  be,  I  am  now  in- 
inclined  to  believe  it  specific,  I  propose  the  name  Palcmtro- 
chis  major. 


NOETH-CAKOLESTA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 


63 


.  't    . 


:^«nn   '  '' 


i 


Fig.  7. 


Continued  searcli  for 
other  kinds  of  fossils  have 
resulted  thus  far  only  in 
obtaining  one  or  two  spe- 
cimens of  an  obscure  Bry- 
ozoon,  and  a  fragment  of 
something  obscurely  or- 
ganized ;  but  so  much  so 
that  its  determination  is 
out  of  the  question.  The 
latter  may  have  been  a 
fucoid,  as  it  appears  more 
like  a  vegetable  than  an 
animal  structure. 

For  the  reasons  which 
have  been  already  assign- 
ed, these  fossils  possess  an 
unusual  interest;  an  in- 
terest which  arises  from 
their  age.  If  my  deter- 
mination can  be  relied 
upon,  they  are  the  oldest 
representatives  of  the  ani- 
mal kingdom  upon  the  globe,  the  first  of  those  low  grades  of 
life  which  were  created. 

This  fossil  is  a  silicious  coralline,  and  not  silicious  from  pet- 
rifaction. It  seems  never  to  have  had  a  calcareous  skeleton 
like  most  corallines ;  but,  during  its  existence,  to  have  been 
entirely  composed  of  the  former  substance.  The  animal  was 
gemmiferous — the  germs  being  sometimes  cast  off,  in  which 
case  new  and  independent  individuals  were  produced  ;  on 
others,  the  germs  adhered  to  the  parent.  These  start  from 
the  circular  edge  at  the  base  of  the  cones ;  their  growtk  pro- 
duced a  change  of  form  which  is  illustrated  in  figures  3  and  5. 
These  fossils  also  occur  in  the  variety  of  quartz  or  quartzite 
which  I  have  described  as  a  hurrhstone,  and  which  is  often 
porphyrized. 


64:  NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  facts  connected  with  one  of  the 
localities  of  this  fossil  is,  the  rock  itself  is  auriferous.  Gold 
has  been  obtained  in  large  amounts  from  the  fossiliferous 
beds  themselves.  Over  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  having 
been  obtained  by  washing  the  debris  of  this  rock.  This  sub- 
ject will  come  up  again. 

The  paleeotrochis  is  found  at  Troy,  Montgomery  county ; 
at  Zion,  about  twelve  miles  south  west  from  Troy,  where  the 
fossils  occur  in  the  greatest  profusion.  It  has  also  been  no* 
ticed  on  the  road  from  Troy  to  Birney's  bridge. 

It.is  evident  from  the  foregoing,  that  the  beds  which  con- 
tain the  fossils  are  repeated,  that  uplifts  or  fractures  of  the 
strata  occur,  by  which  the  fossilferbus  strata  are  thus  widely 
separated. 

The  geological  position  of  this  most  ancient  fossil  is  deter- 
mined from  the  relative  position  of  the  quartzite  to  the  infe- 1 
rior  talcose  slates.  Some  of  the  interlaminated  slates  are 
known  under  the  name  of  soapstone ;  it  is  the  agalmatolite 
already  described.  The  beds  of  fossils  are  also  beneath  the 
common  clay  slate  of  the  country,  which  is  equivalent  to  the 
clay  slate  beneath  the  limestone  of  Rensselaer  county,  New 
York.  It  is  therefore  brought  into  close  relationship  with  the 
quartz  rock  of  Saddle  mountain,  Berkshire  county,  Massaclm 
setts. 

If  the  foregoing  determination  is  sustained  by  future  ob- 
servations, the  paleeotrochis  is  nearer  the  base  of  the  sedi- 
ments than  any  one  which  has  as  yet  been  discovered  in  this 
country.  The  equivalent  quartz  rock  of  Berkshire  county, 
Massachusetts,  alternates  with  three  beds  of  talcose  slates. 
The  same  rocks  exist  in  Buncombe  county,  at  the  Warm 
Springs.  Along  the  whole  range  of  these  deposits  from  north 
to  south  the  primary  rocks  are  just  beneath.  Hence  the 
quartz  is  the  oldest  sediment  except  the  slates  with  which  it 
alteri|p,tes,  and  which  continue  below,  and  form  the  lowest  of 
the  bottom  rocks. 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUKVEY.  65 


CHAPTER  XIL 

Upper'  division  of  the  Taconic  systenn  and  its  series  of  rocks^ 
Clay  Slates.  ChloritiG  Sandstones,  Cherty  heds,  Flag  stones 
and  Brecciated  conglomerates. 

§  1\.  The  division  of- the  system  is  not  very  clearly  mark- 
ed even  when  the  entire  series  is  well  developed.  In  ITorth 
Carolina  the  line  of  demarkation  is  sometimes  difScnlt  to  de- 
fine.    But  the  rocks  which  I  regard  at  the  present  time,  are : 

1.  Argillaceous,  or  clay  Slates,  with  many  subordinate  beds,  roofing  slates,  moun- 
tain slate. 

2.  Chlorite  and  a'J^illaceous  sandstones,  flagging  stones,  etc. 

3.  Brecciated  conglomerates. 

The  foregoing  rocks  are  enumerated  in  the  ascending  order : 

Argillaceous  or  clay  slate  and  its  sid)ordinate  heds. — ^The 
ordinary  soft,  greenish  slates,  may  be  regarded  as  the  prevail- 
ing mass  of  this  division.  The  predominant  color  is  greenish 
gray.  There  are  varieties  in  which  shades  of  yellow,  blue 
and  black  occur;  but  the  dark  or  carbonaceous  varieties  are 
uncommon.  From  this  circumstance,  it  appears  that  these 
slates  do  not  contain  organic  matter,  and  therefore  fossils  will 
rarely  be  found  in  them. 

The  red  varieties  are  common  near  Pittsborough,  but  their 
color  being  rather  of  a  peach  blossom  shade,  seems  to  have 
been  developed  by  decomposition,  and  is  undoubtedly  due  to 
the  presence  of  manganese  and  iron ;  the  brick  red  kind 
which  is  common  in  ITew  York  and  Vermont,  and  which 
owes  its  color  to  titanium,  I  believe  is  unknown  in  North- 
Carolina.  The  common  clay  slate  has  a  wide  distiibution  in 
the  State.  Most  of  Stanley,  Union,  east  part  of  Mecklenburg, 
parts  of  Chatham,  Randolph,  Orange  and  Person  counties 
are  covered  with  clay  slate. 

The  subordinate  beds  are  fine  silicious  ones  passing  into 
chert  or  hornstone.     The  fine  silicious  beds  make  very  fre- 


6Q  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY. 

quently  good  hone  stones,  wliicli  are  known  under  the  name 
of  novaculite.  These  hone  stones  or  grits  are  frequently  su- 
perior for  carpenter's  tools  to  the  Turkey  oil-stone.  The  best 
are  very  fine  grained,  oil  green  and  translucent  on  their 
edges. 

£eds  of  chert,  or  Jiornstone,  are  the  frequent  associates  of 
the  novaculite  or  hornstones.  The  colors  are  blue,  purple 
and  green,  with  many  shades  of  each. 

The  origin  of  the  hornstone  in  the  midst  of  slate  is  not  sat- 
isfactorily accounted  for.  Sometimes  an  isolated  rounded 
hill  is  chert  or  hornstone,  but  connected  with  the  slate  on  all 
sides,  as  at  Mrs.  Kirk's  ferry  on  the  Yadkin  ;  but  continuous 
beds  lie  also  in  the  same  connection  as  if  they  had  been  de- 
posited from  water. 

The  theory  that  these  beds  are  metamorphic,  does  not  seem 
to  be  at  all  well  sustained  ;  that  is,  if  it  is  sup]3osed  these 
beds  were  deposited  in  a  condition  similar  to  that  of  the  com- 
mon clay  slates,  and  have  been  changed  by  heat,  and  have 
undergone  vitrification  or  a  baking  process,  the  supposition 
ma}''  well  be  doubted.  There  are  no  phenomena  which  indi- 
cate the  action  of  this  agent  on  the  adjacent  beds. 

Silicious  beds,  consisting  of  fine  grains  of  sand  are  not 
common;  in  fine,  the  varieties  of  slate  are  too  numerous  to 
require  a  notice  in  this  plac«. 

§  72.  The  slate  in  the  ascending  order  is  more  and  more 
interlaminated  with  thick  beds  which  have  an  intermediate 
composition  between  a  sandstone  and  slate.  They  belong  to 
the  middle  part  of  the  upper  series.  They  resemble  beds 
which  occupy  the  same  position  in  New  York,  but  never  be- 
come so  distinctly  sandstones,  and  are  rarely  so  coarse  and 
gray.  They  are  finer  and  more  chloritic,  and  among  them 
are-  beds  of  conglomerate.  These  beds  may  be  mistaken  for 
trap,  being  greenish  and  tough,  and  besides,  like  trap,  the 
broken  strata  become  concretionary,  and  exfoliate  in  concen- 
tric layers.  These  beds  frequently  disintegrate,  and  form  by 
its  debris  a  deep  red  tenacious  soil,  suitable  for  wheat. 

Where  fine  sand  or  silex  is  present,  and  the  mass  becomes 
a  semi-hornstone,  it  forms  those  masses  which  are  known  in 


NOETH-OAHOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 


67 


the  coiintiy  as  mountain  slate,  so  common  in  parts  of  David- 
son, Randolph  and  Montgomery  counties. 
•  Brecciated  Conglomerate. — ^This  is  the  most  remarkable  mass 
of  this  division  of  the  system.  It  has  an  argillaceons  or  chlo- 
ritic  base.  The  mass  is  composed  in  the  main  of  fragments 
of  other  rocks  mostly  retaining  an  angular  form,  but  fre- 
quently rounded  and  worn  rocks  are  enclosed  in  the  mass. 
The  fragments  are  sometimes  eighteen  inches  and  even  two 
feet  long ;  I  may  cite  instances  of  this  kind  at  Milledgeville, 
on  the  east  side  of  the  Yadkin. 


Fig.  8. 


Fig.  8  shows  the  character  of  one  variety  of  this  rock,  which 
is  composed  mostly  of  angular  fragments  of  quartz.  This 
rock  is  associated  in  some  places  with  mountain  slate,  an  in- 
stance of  whicli  occurs  about  two-and-a-half  miles  northwest- 
ward from  Mrs.  Kirk's  ferry, 

§  YS.  The  series  by  which  this  mass  is  reached,  is  through 
the  thin  bedded  clay  slate,  which  passes  into  thicker  beds  with 
conglomerates,  imperfect  chloritic  sandstones,  and  which  pass 
upwards  into  the  superior  rock.  This  rock  is  frequently  por- 
phyrized ;  or  is  traversed  by  porphyry  more  frequently,  I  be- 
lieve, than  the  inferior  beds.  The  quartz  of  this  rock  is  rare- 
ly granular,  and  it  still  more  rarely  occurs  under  the  form  of 
a  friable  sandstone,  though  varieties  not  unfrequently  occur, 
which  possess  the  grauwacke  character  of  the  parallel  beds 
in  Renselaer  county,  New  York. 

.  The  brecciated  rock  may  be  examined  at  flat  swamp  moun- 
tain, and  at  Brinkley's  ferry ;  it   extends  to  Gold  Ilill,  or 


68  NOETH-CAEOLINA   aEOLOGICAL    SURVEY, 

passes  east  of  this  place  from  one-and-a-lialf  to  two  miles- 
At  Milledgeville,  one  mile  south  of  Stokes'  ferry,  the  rock 
contains  the  large  fragments  of  chert  already  referred  to;  so- 
also  the  same  rock  ij,  crossed  twice  in  traveling  from  Mrs, 
Kirk's  ferry  to  Gold  Hill.  The  first  time  it  is  crossed,  is  two- 
and-a-half  miles  from  Mrs*  Kirk's.  The  rock  at  the  ferrv  is 
the  common  clay  slate,  which  passes  by  gradation  into  the' 
thicker  bedded  slate  or  flaggs ;  then  into  chlorite  sandstone, 
and  finally,  into  the  brecciated  mass,  two-and-a  half  miles 
northwestward,  where  the  rocks  are  vertical,  having  previ- 
ously  dipped  to  the  northwest.  The  clay  slates  reappear  to 
the  northwest  again  on  the  road  to  Gold  Hill,  and  finally  the 
breccia  is  repeated,  or  reappears  about  two  miles  east  of  the 
latter  place  ;  from  this  point  it  continues  to  Brinckley's  ferry, 
and  forms  the  flat  swamp  mountain ;  from  w^henee  we  pass 
northeastward  to  the  Three  Hat  mountain,  beyond  which  the 
rock  disappears  or  sinks  down,  and  is  lost  beneath  the  soil. 

§  74.  Quarts  Vei7is. — The  clay  slates  and  breccia,  with 
their  intermediate  beds,  are  traversed  by  veins  of  milky 
quartz.  They  are  sometimes  auriferous,  and  in  some  districts 
eminently  so.  They  coincide  in  dip  and  direction  very  nearly 
with  the  beds  of  the  rock  in  which  they  occur.  In  certain 
districts  the  veins  are  rarely  auriferous ;  or  if  they  contain 
gold  at  all,  it  is  only  in  small  quantities. '-  Thus,  the  numer- 
ous veins  between  Troy  and  Montgomery  county  and  Gold 
Hill  are  very  poor  in  gold,  and  I  believe  are  barren  in  the 
neighborhood  of  the  narrows  and  falls  of  the  Yadkin.  Tlie 
district  of  Gold  Hill  is,  however,  rich  in  gold. 

The  most  barren  veins  of  milky  quartz,  are  those  which 
form  the  low  rounded  hills,  which  are  very  numerous  in 
parts  of  Chatham  and  Randolph  counties.  They  seem  to  be 
formed  by  an  immense  mass  of  milky  quartz  which  lies  main- 
ly upon  or  near  the  surface,  and  only  ramifies  into  the  slate 
in  narrow  strings,  which  are  soon  lost  or  run  out.  The  sur- 
faces of  these  rounded  eminences  is  a  mass  of  angular  frag- 
ments of  milky  quartz,  intermixed  with  a  small  amount  ot 
soil,  sufiicient  only  to  sustain  a  scanty  growth  of  blackjack. 
As  the  ores  seem  to  be  gathered  into  districts  in  which  veins 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY.  60 

are  numerous,  so  it  appears  that  a  district  may  be  barren  and 
unproductive  in  the  ores  and  metals,  though  to  the  eye  the 
proper  repositories  may  be  very  numerous. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

On  the    Quartsite  of  North- Carolina —  Varieties^  Oeologieal 
Relations^  .etc.     - 

§  75.  The  quartzite  is  so  peculiar  that  it  merits  a  distinct 
notice  in  this  report.  Its  name  implies  that  it  is  closely  re- 
lated to  common  quartz,  which  is  known  to  all  who  trouble 
themselves  about  the  names  of  minerals.  It  is  an  uncrys- 
talized  kind  of  quartz,  resembling  as  closely  as  possible  com- 
mon gun  flint.  Hence  its  common  name,  flint,  which  it 
bears  in  all  the  districts  of  the  State  where  it  is  found.  It  is 
also  called  hornstone,  and  the  English  miners  call  much  the 
same  substance  cbert;  and  hence  the  adjective  Gherty,  which 
is  frequently  used  in  the  description  of  rocks. 

Quartzite,  however,  is  a  name  which  includes  the  many 
varieties  of  silicious  substances  which  have  a  close  or  com- 
pact structure,  and  is  always  amorphous  or  uncrystallized, 
and  more  or  less  translucent.  It  is  designed  to  embrace, 
however,  the  darker  varieties  of  the  substance,  which  have 
rather  a  coarse  texture  when  compared  with  chalcedony, 
opal  or  cacholong.  The  deep  red  and  very  fine  and  compact 
silicious  minerals  are  generally  called  jaspers.  It  is  the  stone 
employed  by  the  Indians  for  arrow  heads.  Quartzite  may  be 
regarded  as  a  rock,  inasmuch  as  it  is  very  extensive  in  the 
south,  and  is  by  no  means  absent  from  the  formations  of  the 
same  age  in  the  north.  Its  characteristics  may  be  included 
in  the  following  description  : — Color,  blueish  black  passing  in. 


70  NOETH-CAEOLIMA   GEOLOGICAL    StTSVEf. 

to  purple,  grayish,  white  and  green  of  several  shades,  and 
sometimes  banded;  texture,  fine  when  compared  with  the 
finest  sandstones ;  translucent  on  the  edges ;  fracture,  flat- 
conchoidal  and  frequently  brittle,  or  it  may  be  tough  in  the 
mass,  but  small  pieces  easily  chip  ofi*  with  a  light  blow.  It 
passes  on  the  one  hand  into  a  fine  grit,  and  on  the  other,  into 
the  compact  slate  and  a  condition  like  flint.  The  tough  va- 
rieties are  usually  coarse,  and  not  homogeneous.  When 
struck  with  a  hammer,  it  is  sonorous  like  cast  iron.  It  is  rare- 
ly if  ever  a  simple  substance  like  limpid  quartz,  as  it  usually 
weathers  and  loses  thereby  its  homogeniety;  besides,  it  is  of- 
ten porphyritic  or  porphyrized,  and  frequently  the  fresh  frac- 
ture is  dotted  with  small  limpid  crystals  of  quartz,  which 
crystallized  out  from  the  mass  when  it  was  in  a  semi-fluid 
state.  The  development  of  other  crystals  or  crystalline 
grains  receive  a  ready  solution,  on  the  ground  of  the  chemi- 
cal solution  of  the  silica. 

An  interesting  instance  of  an  analogous  kind  was  observed 
by  E.  Emmons,  Jr.,  in  the  development  of  small  crystals  of 
quartz  in  choysocolla,  or  the  silicate  of  copper  of  the  Gard- 
ner mine. 

Crystallizations  of  this  kind  is  imitated  in  the  porcelain 
paste,  when  the  fine  material  is  allowed  to  stand  in  the  vats. 
If  the  mass  is  left  at  rest  for  a  few  days,  or  perhaps  for  a  few 
hours '  only,  spicula  or  crystals  begin  to  form  in  little  clus- 
ters, and  the  material  is  spoiled.  Talc  appears  sometimes 
sprinkled  over  its  surface  ;  among  the  most  common  foreign 
mmerals  disseminated  through  it,  sulphuret  of  iron  is  rarely 
absent. 

In  weathering,  the  surface  is  usually  of  a  drab  color ;  and 
the  rock  will  not  be  suspected  to  be  a  quartzite  until  it  is 
broken. 

As  a  rock,  it  never  forms  ledges  of  jointed  masses  like 
sandstones  or  limestones,  but  its  outcrop  takes  the  form  of  a 
military  hat,  the  outcropping  mass  being  sharp  edged,  round- 
ed, separate  and  hatchet  shaped.  Tliese  hatchet  shaped 
masses  sometimes  occur  in  clusters  and  groups,  and  stand 
thickly  over  the  ground. 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  Yl 

As  a  i-ock,  tlie  strike  of  tlie  singular  outcropping  masses  is 
N.  10°  E.;  while  tlie  rock  is  IT.  from  20°  to  40°  E.  Showing, 
that  in  weathering,  they  stand  obliquely  to  the  general  clirec- 
.  tion  of  the  rock.  Their  dip  is  northwest,  with  an  angle  of 
80°  to  85°.  This  rock,  though  hard  and  apparently  composed 
of  materials  which  can  resist  atmospheric  influences,  yet, 
some  varieties  disintegrate  and  form  a  light  drab  colored 
compact  soil.  It  is  too  silicious  to  be  fertile  and  easily  culti- 
vated. In  the  counties  of  Chatham,  Randolph  and  David- 
son, the  quartzite  usually  alternates  with  the  greenish  slates ; 
the  latter  decompose,  and  form  a  red  productive  soil.  Hence, 
'  the  rock  beneath  may  be  usually  known  by  the  color  of  the 
soil. 

§  76.  The  ridges  of  these  counties  are  frequently  quart- 
zite and  vallevs  slate :  a  fact  which  indicates  that  the  val- 
leys  have  been  deepened,  in  the  course  of  time,  by  the  more 
rapid  disintegration  of  the  soft  clay  slates. 

Quartzite  passes  into  a  coarse  porphyry  and  a  silicious 
jointed  slate,  which  is  often  used  for  hones. 

The  most  perfect  example  of  quartzite  occurs  on  the  plank- 
iy)ad  leading  from  Asheborough  to  Fayetteville,  where  it 
passes  along  this  rock  for  about  twenty  miles. 

§  77.  The  varieties  of  qnartzite  are  numerous,  if  color  and 
texture  are  made  grounds  of  distinction : 

1.  Light  gray  and  compact,  or  very  finely  granular. 

2.  Smoke  gray,  with  grains  of  hyaline  quartz  disseminated  in  the  mass. 

3.  Texture  fine  granular,  with  a  drab  color. 

4.  Porphyrized  quartzite. 

5.  Light  green  quartzite. 

6.  Greenish,  and  full  of  cavities,  and  frequently  epidotic. 

7.  Banded  quartzite,  or  coarsely  agatized . 

§  78.  These  forms  of  qnartzite  are  not  confined  to  rocks  of  a 
'  particular  age,  or  to  a  given  series.  They  seem  to  be  distrib- 
uted through  formations  of  all  ages  and  epochs.  Thus,  they 
are  common  to  both  divisions  of  the  Taconic  system  ;  occur  in 
the  Silurian,  Devonian  and  Carboniferous,  and  as  late  too  as 
the  Eocene ;  that  is,  if  those  cherty  beds  may  be  brought  un- 
der the  denominations  I  have  adopted  for  this  mineral  or 


72  FOETH-CAEOLIlSrA   GEOLOGICAL    SUE^S^T, 

J* 

rock  of  l^orth-Carolma.  Indeed,  in  cabinet  specimens,  it  is 
impossible  to  distinguish  the  quartzites  of  these  formations 
from  each  other,  unless  fossils  happen  to  be  present. 

§  79.  The  quartzites  do  not  appear  to  occur  in  any  regular 
order,  or  to  form  a  succession  of  beds.  The  beds,  too,  are 
distributed  with  little  regularity  in  the  rock ;  for  sometimes 
rounded  hillocks  of  hornstone  occur  in  the  slates.  In  other 
instances  beds  occur  which  are  parallel  with  the  beds  of  clay 
slate. 

§  80.  Origin  of  Quartsites. —The  rock  or  mineral,  when 
associated  with  the  older  sediments,  has  been,  and  is  regarded 
as  a  metamorj)hic  mass ;  or  one  which  was  originally  in  some 
other  state,  as  that  of  a  clay  slate.  If  however,  we  combine 
all  the  facts  respecting  the  formations  in  which  this  substance 
is  found,  we  shall  probably  reject  the  metamorphic  theory  of 
its  origin.  As  it  occurs  in  the  different  limestones  of  the  Si- 
lurian system,  it  seems  far  more  rational  to  infer,  that  the  sili- 
ca of  which  quartzite  is  formed  was  held  in  chemical  solution, 
and  the  material  is  a  chemical  product.  We  cannot  know  of 
course,  all  the  facts  which  were  connected  with  its  formation, 
and  perhaps  cannot  now  conceive  how  so  much  silica  could 
have  been  held  in  that  state  of  combination.  But  though  we 
are  unable  to  comprehend  eyerj  thing  relating  to  it,  yet  the 
chemical  view  seems  more  rational,  after  all,  than  the  meta- 
morphic. There  is  no  evidence  that  heat  was  related  to  it  as  a 
cause  of  change  subsequent  to  its  deposition  and  consolidation. 
Frequently  perfect  fossils  are  made  up  of  the  material.  Some 
of  the  mpst  delicate  organic  structures  are  preserved  in  flint  or 
quartzite.  JS'o  one  suspects  the  flint  of  the  chalk  formation 
to  have  been  the  result  of  vitrification  by  heat.  Animal- 
matter,  however,  has  an  attraction  for  silica.  In  conclusion, 
then,  though  it  is  difficult  to  comprehend  the  mode  in  which 
the  quartzites  were  formed,  yet  I  think  that  we  may  adopt 
the  chemical  theory  in  preference  to  the  metamorphic,  even 
in  those  cases  where  the  rock  is  porphyritic.  There  is  only 
one  variety  which  occasions  much  doubt ;  it  is  the  epidotic 
variety,  which  seems,  by  far,  more  likely  to  have  been  subject- 
ed to  heat,  than  either  of  the  others. 


NOBTH-CAEOLINA    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


73 


CHAPTER  XIY. 

Origin  of  Vein  Fissures,  Dyhes,  etc. — General  considerations 
relating  to  them — Kinds  of  Vein  Stone  or  Gangue — Their 
relations  to  heat,  etc. — Metallic  Veins — Sidphurets — Oxides. 


%  81.  Yeins  and  dj^kes  re- 
quire to  be  treated  of  under 
p  two  heads,  or  the  subject  re- 
quires to  be  separated  so  as 
to  keep  in  distinct  j)arts  that 
Avliich  relates  to  the  formation 
of  the  fissure,  and  that  which 
relates  to  the  mode  in  which 
thej  are  filled.  The  matters 
are  entirely  separate;  that 
force  which  forms  the  fissure 
is  different  in  kind  from  that 
which  subsequently  fills  it. 

Vein  Fissures. — Fissures, 
though  due  to  the  same  gen- 
eral causes,  nevertheless  dif- 
fer in  various  respects.  There 
are  fissures  which  appear  to 
be  deep,  or  penetrating  to  un- 
known depths ;  others  are  sim- 
ply cracks,  which  we  know 
terminate  in  the  rock,  and 
are  distinctly  defined. 

Fissures  are  due  to  those 
causes,  both  of  which  may  be 
said  to  be  general.  The  first 
is  due  to  the  cooling  of  the 
earth's  crust ;  and  the  second, 
to  desiccation,  and  the  third, 
to  the  mechanical  force  of 
pressure.     The  first  operates 


74  isrOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

externally ;  the  second  and  third  internally ;  but  all  are 
due  to  one  cause,  the  high  temperature  of  its  .criist  and 
internal  parts.  This  view  of  the  matter,  supposes  a  former 
incandescent  state,  and  the  earth  placed  in  a  cooler  me- 
dium ;  and  hence  has  lost  its  heat  by  radiating  into  space, 
The  effect  of  cooling  in  all  bodies  is  to  contract  them ;  and 
hence  the  process  subjects  the  surface  to  a  tension,  which, 
in  time,  overcomes  the  cohesion  of  the  strata,  and  the  conti- 
nuity of  parts  is  severed,  and  a  fissure  is  produced.  The 
depth  of  a  fissure  must  be  variable,  and  the  character  of  the 
strata  must  influence  the  result. 

Desiccation  must  also  produce  a  kind  of  fissure.  The  deep 
seated  sediments  must  be  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  re- 
sidual heat ;  the  result  must  be  the  same  as  when  mud  is  ex- 
posed to  the  drying  influence  of  the  sun.  Fissures  thus  pro- 
duced, are  frequently  filled  with  granite. 

The  j)roof  of  a  heated  state  of  the  interior  rests  on  well  de- 
termined experiments  and  observations.  Tlie  temperature 
increases  one  degree  for  every  fifty-six  or  fifty-eight  feet  des- 
cent, from  -about  ninety-five  feet  below  the  surface-  So  in- 
candescent matter  issues  from  volcanic  mountains.  But  I 
need  not  dwell  on  facts  of  this  kind,  as  they  are  incorporated 
into  the  common  stock  of  knowledge. 

The  origin  of  fissures  are  due,  therefore,  to  general  causes ; 
but  it  should  be  noted,  that  the  activity  of  these  causes  must 
have  been  far  greater  in  ancient,  than  in  modern  times.  The 
force  must  diminish,  in  the  direct  proportion  to  cooling  of  the 
earth's  crust.  Tlie  present  state,  or  that  which  is  accessible 
to  observation,  must  be  to  all  visible  efi'ects  stationary ;  or 
have  reached  that  point  of  temperature  which  no  longer  cre- 
ates a  tension.  Fissures,  then,  are  not  produced  in  our  day, 
except  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  active  volcanoes. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  follows,  that  fissures  must  be  more 
common  in  the  ancient  rocks.  Observation  proves  the  truth 
of  the  inference.  Hence,  the  primary  rocks  stand  first  in 
the  order  of  vein  bearing  rocks,  the  oldest  sediments  stand 
next — and  in  fine,  when  the  whole  series  of  sediments  are  ex- 


NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  Y5 

amined,  it  will  be  found  that  the  palaeozoic  are  much  more 
frequently  traversed  by  vein  fissures  than  the  mesozoic.  This 
statement,  however,  is  not  fully  borne  out  when  dylce  fissures 
are  examined.  But  it  is  also  true,  that  for  causes  not  well 
understood,  that  fissures  are  the  products  of  periods  or  epochs 
more  or  less  well  defined ;  one  of  which  I  will  cite  in  this 
place,  viz.,  the  new  red  sandstone  period,  which  seems  to 
have  been  one,  during  which  they  were  formed,  the  world 
over.  But  these  fissures  are  filled  with  stony  matter ;  metal- 
lic veins  of  this  epoch  are  extremely  rare,  and  when  they  oc- 
cur, are  usually  ill  defined. 

§  82.  I  am  now  prepared  to  speak  of  the  modes  by  which 
fissures  may  be  filled,  and  by  which  they  become  veins  or . 
dykes.  The  first  inquiry  which  requires  attention  is,  what 
are  the  forces  which  effect  this  result ;  for  there  are  certain 
forces  in  existence  which  must  be  regarded  either  as  remote 
or  proximate  causes  in  the  filling  of  the  fissures,  and  of  the 
formation  of  veins.  To  the  former  belong,  as  I  believe,  the 
high  temperature  of  the  inferior  part  of  the  earth's  crust. 
This  high  temperature  sets  in  motion  or  brings  into  activity 
the  properties  of  matter  in  such  a  way  as  to  produce  the  re- 
sults indicated. 

Liquefaction  and  vaporization  are  two  constants  which  flow 
from  this  high  temperature.  Matter  is  brought  into  a  state 
by  which  it  can  enter  and  fill  the  fissures  already  made. 

High  temperature  of  the  inferior  part  of  the  crust,  sets  in 
motion  also  electrical  currents.  This  occurs  from  the  well 
known  influence  temperature  has  when  bodies  are  unequally 
heated,  the  equilibrium  of  the  electro-magnetic  force  being 
disturbed.  Currents  thus  set  in  motion,  or  if  set  in  motion 
by  any  other  cause,  possess  the  faculty  of  carrying  soluble 
matter  from  certain  points,  and  depositing  it  at  others,  in 
obedience  to  an  inherent  law. 

§  83.  But  again,  fissures  may  be  formed  under  circumstances 
which  makes  them  closed  or  sealed  cavities.  These  cavities, 
which  are  usually  in  the  form  of  fissures,  cannot  exist  long  in 
a  state  of  vacuity.  If  at  great  depths,  liquids  holding  in  so- 
hition  soluble  matter,  must  penetrate  and  fill  them.     This, 


76  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

then,  is  another  force  which  should  not  be  forgotten,  Pres- 
sure, sirapl}^  does  not  indicate  to  us  all  that  belongs  to  it ;  it 
requires  the  cooperation  of  the  properties  of  matter,  to  se- 
cure the  ultimate  result. 

To  the  foregoing  must  be  added  the  pressure  of  elastic  va- 
pours or  gasses  generated  at  great  depths  in  and  beneath  the 
earth's  crust  ujjon  the  molten  matter  with  which  it  is  in  con- 
tact, or  upon  which  it  operates.  Their  existence  is  proved 
by  their  escape  from  craters  and  fissures  in  volcanic  districts. 

§  84.  I  may,  with  propriety,  observe  that  the  foregoing 
forces  are  connected  with  the  earliest  arrangements  in  the 
structure  and  formation  of  the  earth's  crust.  They  are  an- 
cient arrangements  by  which  the  metals  are  made  accessible 
to  us ;  and  thej  are,  it  would  seem,  the  necessary  result  of 
the  constitution  of  the  globe.  They  are  by  no  means  to  be 
regarded  as  accidents  arising  from  conditions  which  might 
have  been  otherwise.  Tliey  are  also  general  results,  and  are 
not  confined  to  diminutive  parts  of  the  earth's  crust ;  and  so 
simple  is  the  machinery  by  which  the  grand  results  are  pro- 
duced, that  it  would  have  required  special  instrumentalities 
to  have  prevented  them. 

The  formation  of  veins,  therefore,  are  the  results  of  the 
operation  of  law,  and  hence  certain  constants  may  be  looked 
for  or  expected ;  and  upon  which  the  practical  miner  may 
rely, 

"We  have  no  occasion  to  go  farther  back  in  the  series  of 
causes,  as  that,  for  examj^le,  which  caused  the  high  tempera- 
ture of  the  interior  of  the  earth ;  it  is  sufficient  for  us  to 
know  the' fact,  and  its  adaptation  to  the  production  of  results; 
the  fact  itself  being  attested  in  the  phenomena  of  volcanoes, 
and  sustained  by  observations  in  all  parts  of  the  earth. 

§  85.  The  veins  whicli  appear  under  the  simplest  aspect, 
and  which  jjossess  a  great  degree  of  homogeneity,  are  usu- 
ally called  dyl:es.  They  are  fissures  filled  with  homogeneous 
stony  matter;  or,  if  heterogeneous,  it  is  the  result  of  crystali- 
zation  of  parts  of  the  mass ;  as  the  development  of  crystals 
in  a  paste  of  stony  matter.     The  rock  itself  is  complex  when 


NORTH'CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUHVEY. 


TT 


its  elements  are  considered,  but  homogeneous  when  semi- 
fluid, and  when  it  enters  the  fissure. 

If  the  force  which  filled  such  fissures  is  considered,  we  are 
ready  to  admit  that  elastic  gasses  or  vapors,  pressing  upon  a 
liquid  mass,  may  have  been  the  instrument  most  immediate- 
ly active  in  the  result.  First,  there  is  the  evidence  of  high 
temperature  of  a  mass  which  has  changed  the  walls  of  the  ad- 
jacent rock.  The  results  in  these  cases  are  consistent  with 
what  we  witness  in  analogous  cases.  We  must  admit  that 
the  filling  was  in  mass,  and  Mdiile  it  was  in  a  semi-fluid  state. 
We  are  not  confined  to  this  single  cause ;  the  force  of  elastic 
gasses,  the  force  of  pressure,  may  be  produced  by  the  strata 
alone  acting  upon  a  moveable  fluid. 

.  In  the  consideration  of  this  kind  of  vein,  we  may  satisfy 
ourselves  that  the  other  causes  are  not  adapted  to  the  pro- 
duction of  such  a  result.  We  cannot  rationally  infer  that 
vaporization  meets  the  case,  or  thermo-electrical  currents. 
They  truly  come  under  what  is  usually  known  as  igneous  in- 
jections, an  expression  not  very  definite  or  strictly  correct- 
It  is,  however,  important  for  us  to  know,  that  certain  fissures 
are  filled  with  incandescent  matter,  and  in  mass;  but  such  a 
mode  being  possible,  we  should  not,  therefore,  infer  that  all 
fissures  are  consequently  filled  in  this  way. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  respecting  the  mode  in  which 
granitic  veins  are  filled,  they  must  belong  to  the  same  class 
as  the  trap  dykes.  Besides,  when  they  traverse  chalk,  or  any 
of  the  limestones,  the  phenomena  indicate  that  they  must  have 
been  in  a  state  of  fusion. 

Fig.  10. 


Fig.  10  illustrates  th6  common  mode  in  which  granite  veins 
traverse  the  adjacent  rock 


The  figure  is  designed  to  show 


78  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

also  tliat  the  granites  belong  to  different  epochs,  and  that 
these  epochs  are  determined  by  the  order  in  which  the  dif- 
ferent veins  enter  the  rock. 

Other  veins  may,  in  their  respective  phenomena,  possess 
characters  which  are  not  explainable  in  this  way.  The  statics 
of  a  vein  fissure  may  entirely  discredit  the  dynamics'  of  dyke 
veins,  or  the  contrary. 

Leaving  the  latter  for  the  present,  and  considering  that  we 
admit  the  fact  that  there  are  injections  of  melted  rock  from 
beneath,  by  the  pressure  conveyed  to  it  in  some  way  not  sus- 
ceptible of  being  determined  in  a  given  case,  I  may  proceed 
to  speak  of  heterogeneous  veins  or  fissures  filled  with  a  mix- 
ture of  metals  in  some  state  of  combination  and  with  the 
difterent  earths. 

§  86.  In  this  kind  of  vein  the  dynamics  require  a  special 
consideration  of  the  statics.  If  it  should  be  found  that  the 
substances  are  disorderly  intermixed,  there  would  be  no  ob- 
jection to  the  adoption  of  the  theory  already  stated,  and 
which  I  believe  is  universally  adopted.  We  must,  however, 
study  the  statics  of  the  heterogeneous  filling.  Kow  in  show- 
ing in  the  general  the  distribution  of  these  matters,  I  will  re- 
fer to  fig.  9.  This  figure  is  an  accurate  drawing  of  the  Rossie 
lead  vein,  in  gneiss.  It  will  be  seen  that  an  irregular  thick 
black  line  traverses  the  middle  of  the  fissure.  This  is  the 
lead,  or  the  metal  nearly  unmixed  with  gangue.  The  parts 
on  each  side,  and  which  are  white,  are  belts  of  crystalline 
calcareous  spar,  intermixed  with  galena.  The  middle  is  un- 
equal in  width,  sometimes  it  is  eighteen  inches  wide ;  in 
others  only  six  or  ten.  ]^ow  it  is  clear  that  this  kind  of  vein 
difiTers  from  dyke  veins,  and  we  may  doubt  the  justness  of 
the  same  theoiy  being  applicable  alike  to  the  two  kinds  of 
veins,  unless  it  admits  of  certain  modifications.  But  why  is 
this  vein  unlike  the  dyke  vein  ?  This  question  can  only  be 
answered,  it  appears  to  me,  by  inferring  that  the  materials 
immediately  below,  and  in  proximity  with  the  fissure,  con- 
tained galena,  as  well  as  carbonate  of  lime.  This  inference 
may  not  possess  much  force,  inasmuch  as  some  maintain  that 
the  materials  of  the  vein  are  derived  from  the  rock  adjacent 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  79 

to  the  fissures.  This  assumption,  though  it  may  not  be 
groundless,  does  not,  in  my  mind,  contain  as  mucji  probabih- 
ty  as  the  first.  It  is  advanced  to  meet  certain  difiiculties 
which  stand  up  against  the  igneous  injection  theory,  which 
does  not  explain  the  phenomena  when  applied  as  it  is  to  dyke 
veins.  Biit  we  want  more  facts  respecting  the  statics  of 
veins,  the  metal  is  not  so  regularly  distributed  in  all  cases. 
It  is  often  entirely  mixed  with  the  gangue,  being  less,  how- 
ever, in  the  gangue  at  the  upper  part.  The  metal  may  come 
in  only  at  great  depths  in  the  fissure,  all  the  upper  part  be- 
ing entirely  stony,  or  mixed  with  a  few  scattering  particles 
of  the  sulphurets. 

§  87.  In  treating  of  the  mode  and  mannner  by  which  fis- 
sures are  filled,  it  is  important  that  the  properties  of  the  vein 
stone  or  gangue,  and  the  accompanying  metal,  should  be  well 
understood.  The  vein  stones  are  not  numerous ;  but  their 
properties  are  quite  diff'erent. 

■  The  known  vein  stones  are  as  follows :  carl>.^  of  liine,  sul- 
phate of  bar^^ta.  and  strontian,  fluor  spar,  quartz,  talc,  silicate 
of  manganese,  carbonate  of  iron,  carbonate  of  lime  and  mag- 
nesia, or  dolomite  and  epidote. 

The  enquiry  respecting  these  bodies  is,  can  they  be  carried 
up  into  open  fissures  by  vaporization,  jt/er  se,  or  through  the 
medium  of  water,  in  the  form  of  vapor ;  or  shall  their  pre- 
sence in  veins  be  ascribed  to  igneous  injections? 

Sulphate  of  baryta  and  strontian,  fluor  spar  and  quartz  are 
soluble  in  water  under  certain  circumstances. 

The  two  first  occur  in  cavities  in  a  decomposing  granite  in 
St.  Lawrence  county.  They  line  the  inside,  and  are  stalac- 
tical,  as  shown  in  my  Geological  Report  ot  New  York.  So 
also  they  occur  in  Schoharie,  in  the  Silurian  rocks,  in  beds. 
Fluor  spar  and  quartz  often  line  cavities  also,  and  hence  are 
soluble  when  the  needful  conditions  are  supplied. 

§  88.  The  salts  of  lime  and  magnesia  and  iron  are  more 
soluble  than  either  of  the  foregoing.  Epidote,  which  is  the 
vein  stone  of  the  sulp.  of  copper  and  iron,  is  an  igneous  pro- 
duct, and  is  o*ie  of  the  most  common  metamorphic  minerals, 
known. 


80  NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

But  most  of  the  foregoing  minerals  are  also  found  in  min- 
eral and  thermal  v/aters,  and  being  soluble  in  the  vapor  of 
water,  may  rise  from  the  interior  through  fissures  to  the  sur- 
face. Hence  they  may  be  deposited  upon  the  walls  which 
bound  those  fissures,  and  ultimately  fill  them.  In  North- 
Carolina,  however,  quartz  and  felspar  veins,  associated  with 
trap  dykes,  are  very  common  in  the  granite  belt ;  and  it  is 
not  uncommon  to  observe  that  a  granite  vein  is  composed  of 
quartz,  with  only  a  very  small  proportion  of  mica  and  felspar. 
At  least,  nine-tenths  is  quartz,  and  as  such  veins  must  be  re- 
garded as  igneous  injections,  it  sustains  the  view  that  quartz 
veins  may  also  belong  to  the  same  class  of  products. 

The  quartz  and  felspar  veins,  which  traverse  the  sienitic 
granites  of  ISTorth-Carolina,  seem  also  to  have  been  formed  in 
the  same  manner  as  the  trap  dykes,  which  are  associated 
with  them.  The  igneous  origin  of  quartz  veins,  however,  is 
not  fully  sustained  by  the  phenomena  which  accompany  them. 
Of  hundreds  of  veins  of  this  kind,  I  have  never  observed 
that  the  walls  exhibit  marks  of  igneous  action.  The  same 
fact,  however,  exists  in  the  felspar,  and  many  of  the  dyke 
veins  of'  the  Taconic  system.  We  have  to  remark,  in  regard 
to  the  want  of  igneous  action,  that  we  must  consider  the 
composition  of  the  rock.  Limestones,  for  example,  are  ex- 
cellent rocks  for  the  preservation  of  phenomena  which  are 
due  to  the  action  of  heat ;  whereas  the  mica  and  talcose 
slates  are  far  less  changed  by  the  same  degree  of  heat.  If 
mica  and  talcose  slates  are  heated  to  redness,  their  appear- 
ance is  very  little  changed.  When  used  for  hearth  stones  in 
furnaces,  for  a  few  months,  they  then  become  columnar  and 
often  vitreous.  We  may  therefore  infer  that  a  single  ex- 
posure to  intense  heat  may  result  only  in  a  slight  change  of 
texture  or  structure,  which  in  the  end  may  disappear  by  the 
absorption  of  water. 

From  the  foregoing  facts,  it  appears  that  veins,  whose  vein 
stone  is  quartz,  or  sulphate  of  barytes  or  fluor  spar,  may  be 
filled  by  these  minerals  in  a  state  of  fusion,  or  through  the 
instrumentality  of  mineral  waters.     In  the  la^tter  case,  fis- . 
sures  become  galleries  of  sublimation,  penetrated  by  vapor, 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SHEVET.  81 

holding  in  suspension  and  solution  the  minerals  in  question, 
which  condenses  upon  the  cooled  walls.  Whether  we  adopt 
the  first  or  second  view,  it  is  necessary  to  maintain  also  that 
the  fissures  extend  to  those  parts  whose  temperature  is  highly 
elevated.  It  establishes  the  position  that  vein  fissures  pene- 
trate deeply  into  the  interior  of  the  earth.  , 

§  89.  In  reasoning  upon  the  phenomena  of  veins,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  restrict  the  solubilities  of  the  vein  stuff  to  the 
limits  which  it  may  possess  at  the  surface.  Pressure  and 
temperature,  we  know,  modify  the  solubility  of  bodies;  and 
carbonate  of  lime,  which  is  almost  infusible  at  the  surface, 
but  under  pressure,  retains  its  carbonic  acid  and  fuses.  It  is 
therefore  a  fact  consistent  with  the  phenomena,  which  have 
been  frequently  observed  in  northern  ISTew  York,  with  res- 
pect to  the  veins  of  limestone  which  resemble  so  perfectly 
granitic  veins.  Ko  one  who  takes  a  consistent  view  of  these 
.  veins,  can  doubt  their  igneous  origin.  Hence,  too,  there  is 
nothing  inconsistent  with  the  view,  that  the  vein  stone,  when 
a  limestone,  may  be  of  igneous  origin  also. 

It  is,  however,  better  to  adopt  that  view  of  the  mode  in 
which  a  fissure  is  filled,  which  best  comports  with  the  phe- 
nomena revealed  in  any  given  case.  A  fissure  may  have 
been  a  gallery  of  sublimation,  open  for  the  reception  of  me- 
tallic vapors ;  or,  as  in  the  case  of  granite  veins  and  trap 
dykes,  it  may  be  filled  by  fused  matters,  in  which  are  min- 
gled mineral  substances  of  diverse  kinds. 


82  NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Gha/raoteTs  of  a  Vein  Fissure — -Distribution  of  Metal  in  a 
Fissure — Influence  of  Walls  on  the  arrangement  of  the  in- 
closed Ore  and  Hock,  its  parallel  a/rrangement — Consid- 
erations respecting  Iron. 

§  90.  The  receptacles  of  ores,  thougli  they  possess  certain 
general  characteristics  quite  similar,  still  a  careful  examina- 
tion will  detect  certain  important  diiferences.  A  vein,  for 
example,  which  may  be  relied  upon,  must  be  bounded  liter- 
ally by  walls.  If  walls  are  absent,  the  receptacle  is  not  a 
vein.  "Walls  are  the  only  criteria  which  distinguish  a  vein 
from  a  seam,  a  desiccation  crack,  or  seggregation.  The  walls 
are  produced  by  a  rent  oblique  or  vertical,  and  indicative  of, 
or  giving  evidence  that  they  have  rubbed  against  each  other, 
by  which  their  asperities  are  smoothed  off  or  removed.  In 
consequence  of  these  and  oth^r  movements,  the  surfaces  of 
the  walls  are  well  defined  ;  they  moreover  show  that  the  re- 
ceptacle is  a  vein  fissure,  and  not  a  desiccation  crack.  It 
sometimes  happens  that  only,  one  side  is  well  defined  ;  if  so, 
it  does  not  destroy  the  confidence  of  the  miner  with  respect 
to  the  nature  of  the  fissure.  It  still  has  a  selvage  on  one  side 
which  proves  it  to  be  a  true  vein. 

But  if  the  receptacle  of  the  ore  is  wanting  in  boundaries 
or  selvages,  or  such  boundaries  as  are  not  indicative  of  ver- 
tical movements  of  one  side  or  the  other,  it  cannot  be  re- 
garded as  a  vein  fissure,  and  cannot  be  relied  upon  as  a  per- 
manent fund  of  metallic  matter. 

I  would  confine  the  characteristics  of  a  vein  fissure,  there- 
fore, to  the  existence  of  one  or  both  walls ;  and  a  receptacle 
which  cannot  furnish  the  proper  walls  defined  more  or  less 
clearly,  should  not,  in  n\j  opinion,  be  regarded  as  a  vein  at 
ail.  I  am  disposed  to  insist  upon  this  distinction,  and  pay  no 
regard  to  the  terms  regular  and  irregular  veins. 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA    GEOLOQICAL    SUEVEY.  83 

Metallic  Veins. — Metallic  veins  diifer  from  dyke  veins  in 
being  heterogeneous  in  their  composition.  A  metallic  vein  is 
a  mixture  of  metal  and  rock,  or  vein  stone ;  the  latter  pre- 
dominates, or,  in  other  words,  the  vein  stone  is  usually  in 
arreat  excess  over  the  metallic  substances  intermixed  with  it. 

The  most  common  combinations  of  the  metal  as  a  min- 
eralizer,  is  sulphur,  forming  a  class  of  bodies  universally 
known  as  sulphurets.  In  chemical  language,  they  are  sul- 
phurets  of  lead,  copper,  iron,  zinc  and  silver.  All  these 
substances  possess  peculiar  relations  to  heat.  They  may  be 
fused  without  being  decomposed,  or  they  may  be  volatihzed, 
and  condensed  without  change. 

Hence,  in  regard  to  the  mode  by  which  they  are  intro- 
duced into  vein  fissures,  it  will  not  be  inconsistent  with  any 
known  fact,  or  with  their  properties,  to  infer  that  they  may 
be  introduced  into  fissures  in  vapor,  or  in  a  state  of  fusion  ; 
and  it  will  hold  good  in  either  case,  as  has  been  stated  res- 
pecting the  vein  stones,  that  their  origin  must  be  in  the  deep 
seated  parts  of  the  crust.  So  far  then  as  the  question  res- 
pecting ultimate  exhaustion  is  concerned,  these  facts  indicate, 
that  though  the  metal  may  vary  in  quantity  at  different 
depths,  that  a  vein  is  not,  liable  to  be  exhausted,  or  to  be 
penetrated  to  its  bottom. 

Closed  fissures  may  be  filled,  and  no  doubt  are  always  fill- 
ed by  water,  carying  minerals  in  solution ;  very  few  sub- , 
stances  can  resist  the  solvent  action  of  water  under  pressure 
and  high  temperature.  Closed  fissures  are  usually  filled  with 
earths,  the  carbonate  of  lime,  sulp.  of  baryta,  strontian  and 
silica,  or  quartz ;  the  latter  is  the  most  common  in  slate  rocks,  - 
where  it  takes  the  form  of  seams  or  oval  masses.  Cracks  in 
the  argillaceous  limestones  and  nodules,  as  septaria,  are 
penetrated  by  solution,  and  are  ultimately  filled,  when  they 
present  stellated  seams.  As  these  fissures  or  cracks  are  limit- 
ed and  closed,  they  can  be  filled  only  by  latteral  transfusions. 

Metallic  Oxides. — Several  metals  occur  in  veins  which  are 
in  combination  with  oxygen.  Of  the  oxides,  iron  is  the  most 
important.  In  northern  New  York,  it  occurs  in  veins  and 
beds.     In  the  latter  form,  it  is  equivalent  to  that  of  a  rock. 


84'  NOKTH-CAKOLmA   GEOLOGICAL   SITEVET. 

It  is  impossible  to  conceive  that  its  origin  can  differ  from  the 
rock  with  which  it  is  associated  in  the  western  part  of  Essex 
county.  Here,  hypersthene  rock  and  labradorite  encloses  it 
in  immense  beds.  The  rock  itself,  like  other  varieties  of 
granite,  is  very  clearly  of  an  igneous  origin,  and  the  iron 
rock  shows  from  its  relations  to  it,  that  it  was  cotemporane- 
ous  with  it.  In  the  eastern  part  of  Essex,  and  also  in  Clinton 
county,  the  oxide  of  iron  is  mostly  in  veins.  There  are  no 
serious  objections  to  the  foregoing  views,  and  I  should  deem 
it  unnecessary  to  refer  to  these  instances,  were  it  not  that  a 
certain  writer  has  presented  another  view  which  is  untena- 
ble, and  which  is  not  sustained  by  a  single  fact. 

In  ISTorth-Carolina,  the  oxides  of  iron  occur  only  in  veins, 
excepting  where  the  mass  has  undergone  certain  changes. 

The  mode  in  which  ferruginous  veins  have  been  filled,  is 
clearly  that  which  is  assigned  to  trap  or  granite.  Iron,  how- 
ever, in  combination  with  chlorine  is  volatile,  and  is  vapo- 
rized, and  finally  deposited  in  the  condition  of  a  peroxide  or 
specular  oxide.  Examples  of  this  mode  occurs  in  volcanic 
vents.'  Lava,  projecting  into  the  funnel  of  a  crater,  is  often 
incrusted  with  crystals  of  specular  iron. 

In  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  specular  iron  occurs 
in  isolated  masses  in  limestone,  or  it  has  been  impossible  to 
discover  a  connection  with  a  vein  fissure.  It  is  also  dissemi- 
nated in  quartz  crystals. 

In  this  region  specular  iron  occurs  in  true  veins.  Its  char- 
acters, however,  are  concealed  by  the  change  in  texture 
which  it  has  undergone.  In  ISTorth.  Carolina,  a  specular  iron 
is  also  found  in  veins  in  many  places,  some  of  whicli  are 
highly  important. 

§  91.  Those  writers  who  attempt  to  make  a  distinction  be- 
tween regular  and  irregular  veins,  have  hitherto  failed ;  both 
kinds  are  productive  according  to  their  statements ;  the  regu- 
lar vein  being  supposed  to  be  more  so,  or  more  permanent 
than  the  irregular.  But  the  regular  vein  has  its  irregulari- 
ties; it  widens  out,  and  it  is  pinched  out  and  nipped;  it  ia 
irregular  in  the  amount  of  metal  it  carries,  the  irregular  dia- 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SmiVEY.  85 

tribution  of  it  being  notorious  in  the  best  of  veins,  or  in  parts 
of  them. 

Good  walls,  however,  do  not  prove  that  a  given  vein  must 
pay  a  profit ;  or  that  it  warrants  exploration  ;  it  may  be  too 
narrow,  it  may  be  too  wide  ;  that  is,  the  metal  is  distributed 
through  a  large  quantity  of  vein  stuff.  But  an  exposure  of 
ore  being  made  in  a  receptacle,  the  important  question,  of  its 
being  a  vein,  is  the  first  thing  to  be  determined  ;  for,  as  I  be- 
lieve, the  question  of  permanence  of  the  receptacle,  turns 
on  the  answer  the  phenomena  gives  us  ;  if  no  walls,  we  have 
no  ground  to  expect  a  permanent  fund  of  metal ;  if  walls  are 
present,  it  is  a  fissure  which  extends  deeply  into  the  interior ; 
so  much  may  be  regarded  as  settled,  there  will  be  depth  at 
least.  But  if  there  are  no  walls,  the  boundaries  of  the  recep- 
tacle will  close  like  a  desiccation  crack  or  a  seam  in  slates ; 
and  we  should  not  be  warranted  in  the  expectation  of  a  per- 
manent fund  of  metal,  as  before  remarked.  To  these  re- 
marks I  am  inclined  to  except  the  auriferous  beds,  in  certain 
cases,  in  the  Taconic  system. 

The  veins  termed  regular  and  irregular,  are  worked  with 
advantage,  and  sometimes  those  which  are  irregular  have 
yielded  the  largest  profits.  The  terms  regular  and  irregular 
de,j)osits  scarcely  admit  of  distinctions  in  practice,  and  hence, 
should  not  be  employed.  Still  more  objectionable  is  the 
term  unstratified  deposits.  A  deposit,  in  its  true  meaning, 
must  be  stratified ;  and  it  is  especially  erroneous  when  it  is 
applied  to  igneous  products.  It  would  be  just  as  proper  to 
-9p  111.18^  eqjQ  •8po{  oqp:jaui  v,  si?  'ijisodap  'b  uiga  oi^iu'BjS  b  j^j'bo 
posit  is  restricted  to  sediments. 

§  92.  The  distribution  of  the  metal  and  vein  stone  con- 
tains characteristics  of  a  true  vein  fissure.  There  is  a  regulari- 
ty in  the  parts  which  show  that  the  process  of  filling  was  not 
always  confined  to  one  operation.  The  accumulation  is  sup- 
posed to  be  by  successive  layers  or  lamina  which  are  depos- 
ited against  the  walls.  Such  an  accumulation  gives  the 
comby  structure,  to  use  a  miner's  term,  and  as  the  lamina 
are  crystalline,  the  points  or  apices  are  directed  towards  the 


86  NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOOICAL    8UEVET. 

middle  of  the  fissure.  The  arrangement  of  the  metal  is  also 
in  accordance  with  the  vein  stone ;  it  is  distributed  in  belts 
parallel  with  the  lamina,  sometimes  in  continuous  sheets,  in 
others,  in  interrupted  ones.  The  regular  distribution  which 
has  been  observed  in  some  of  the  best  characterised  veins  of 
metal  in  Europe,  has  been  ascribed  to  successive  additions  of 
new  matter  to  the  vein.  To  this  view  there  seems  to  be  no 
objection,  inasmuch  as  the  force  which  produced  the  fissure 
may  be  regarded  as  operative  through  long  periods.  Every 
time  the  fissure  is  widened,  it  would  receive  fresh  accessions 
of  mineral  matter.  Another  view  of  this  subject  may  be 
presented,  however,  which  is  worthy  of  a  moment's  con- 
sideration. The  arrangement  of  materials,  or  their  special 
disposition  in  a  fissure,  may  be  influenced  by  a  molecular 
force.  Wherever  there  is  space  for  particles  to  move,  and  a 
sufiicient  degree  of  fluidity  to  allow  the  particles  to  arrange 
themselves,  the  order  in  which  the  distribution  is  made  will 
be  regular,  but  the  precise  order  will  be  very  much  controll- 
ed by  the  form  or  shape  of  the  enclosing  space.  In  fissures,, 
the  parallel  walls  will  exercise  a  controlhng  influence,  the 
subordinate  parts  of  the  enclosed  metal  and  vein  stone,  will 
he  arranged  parallel  with  the  master  planes,  formed  by  the 
walls.  Seams  of  calc  spar  furnish,  very  frequently,  instances 
of  this  kind  of  arrangement,  the  back  of  the  seam  of  spar 
being  implanted  against  the  sides  bounding  the  space ;  but 
the  inward  faces  of  the  plate  of  spar  will  be  covered  with 
crystals  directed  to  the  middle  of  the  seam.  "W~e  may  say,  to 
make  the  idea  plain,  that  the  master  planes  condense  the  li- 
([uid  holding  mineral  substances  in  solution,  ll^ow  the  term 
(:0'nd€7ise  may  not  be  the  best,  but  its  use  here  is  analogous  to 
that  which  is  employed  in  other  cases.  Stones  in  the  soil 
condense  water,  plates  of  metal  condense  moisture,  platina  foil 
is  Avet  by  quicksilver,  and  platina  sponge  condenses  hydro- 
gen ;  flattened  particles  of  gold  condenses  the  air  of  the  liquid 
in  which  it  is  immersed  when  it  floats.  In  veins,  the  walls 
therefore  may  be  said  to  condense  the  enclosed  matter ;  it 
may  be  in  vapor  or  in  a  liquid  state,  and  the  process  having 


NORTH-CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL    SURVEy. 


87 


once  begun  in  parallel  planes,  will  afterwards  continue  to  be 
thus  arranged.  In  dykes  the  space  is  too  much  crowded  to 
give  the  free  movement  of  particles.  In  many  cases,  how- 
ever, the  columnar  structure  is  developed,  and  as  it  is  always 
transverse,  it  shows  the  influence  of  the  walls  upon  the  ar- 
rangement ;  though  that  influence  may  be  due  simply  to  the 
mode  or  direction  in  which  the  heat  escapes. 

§  93.  The  walls  of  a  vein  may  be  conceived  to  control  the 
order  of  arrangement  of  the  inclosed  matter,  giving  it  the 
laminated  or  comby  structure.  When  limestone  is  associated 
with  laminated  rocks,  its  structure  partakes  of  that  of  the 
rock  which  encloses  it.  So  general  is  the  efi'ect  of  surfaces 
or  planes  of  matter  to  produce  parallelism,  that  we  may  wit-, 
ness  their  influence  in  numberless  cases. 

The  effect  of  the  walls  in  giving  direction  to  the  parts  of 
the  vein  stone  and  its  metal,  does  not  disprove  the  view  of 
geologists  already  stated.  Yeins  may  be  widened  at  diff'er- 
ent  times,  as  maintained,  and  yet  the  walls  may  control  the 
disposition  of  the  subordinate  parts,  and  impart  to  them  that 
parallel  arrangement  so  frequently  noticed  in  the  most  per- 
fect examples  of  veins.  The  master  planes  in  a  vein  there- 
fore, are  its  parallel  walls — the  more  perfect  the  walls,  the 
more  perfect  the  arrangement  of  its  parts.  If  the  foot  wall 
is  the  most  perfect,  the  parallelism  will  be  the  most  perfect 
adjacent  to  that  wall. 

Fig.  11  illustrates  the  parallel  ar- 
rangement of  the  masses  of  ore  and 
vein  stone,  1  2  3  4,  as  described  in  the 
foregoing  paragraphs.  Parrallel  ar- 
rangements occur  when  the  vein  de- 
comjjoses  in  mass,  under  circumstances 
which  diff'er  from  those  which  attend 
the  filling  of  the  vein  originally.  Re- 
markable instances  have  been  noticed  in 
Carrol  county,  Virginia;  in  Ashe  coun- 
ty, North-Carolina ;  and  in  Polk  county, 
Tennessee. 


Fig.  n. 


;  2  3  4 


88 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   aEOLOGICAI.    8UBVET. 


Fig.  12. 


§  94.  These  veins  contain  the  snlphnrets  of  copper  and  iron, 
with  traces  of  arsenic.  Near  the  surface  the  sulphurets  are 
decomposed.  ]^ow,  the  separated  elements,  instead  of  inter- 
minghng,  seperate ;  the  oxide  of  copper,  which  is  one  pro- 
duct of  decomposition,  forms  a  stratum  by  itself,  and  the  ox- 
ide of  iron  by  itself.  Thus,  in  Fig.  12,  4  represents  the  po- 
sition of  the  oxide  of  copper, 
and  2  oxide  of  iron,  and  3  a 
stratum  of  undecomposed 
bell  metal  ore.  These  beds 
lie  in  parallel  position — a 
position  M'hich  is  secondary  ; 
as,  originally,  nothing  of  the 
kind  appeared.  Gravity,  in 
this  case,  may  have  aided 
in  disposing  the  materials  as 
they  were  found  in  opening 
the  vein ;  but  similar  ar- 
rangements take  jjlace  where  gravity  had  little  or  no  influ- 
ence. Water,  no  doubt,  plays  an  important  part  in  arrang- 
ing the  materials  in  the  new  condition  in  which  they  are 
placed.  - 

§  95.  A  variety  known  as  the  j!>?^5  vein,  brings  to  light  a 
very  curious  modification  of  a  vein  fissure.  Instead  of  a  sim- 
ple fissure,  whose  walls  are  nearly  parallel,  they  are  twitched 
in,  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of  tubular  repository.  This  tubular 
form  of  the  vein  plunges  deep  into  the  rock;  but  it  forms  a 
series  of  enlargements  or  conti-actions,  similar  to  what  occurs 
in  ordinary  fissures,  none  of  which  have  walls  perfectly  regu- 
lar and  parallel.  Fig.  13  shows  the  form  of  pipe  vein  in 
Georgia,  near  Ducktown,  Tennessee. 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


89 


Fig.  18. 


In  this  vein,  notwithstand- 
ing its  irregular  form  or  ra- 
ther deviation  from  the  or- 
dinary vein  fissure,  the  mas- 
ses of  vein  stuiF  have  a  paral- 
lel arrangement,  as  in  other 
cases.  For  25  feet  of  the  top, 
the  fissure  is  nearly  closed. 
A  streak  of  gossan  or  hy- 
drous oxide  of  iron,  served  as 
a  guide  to  the  wide  tubular 
expansion  below,  which 
plunges  obliquely  into  the 
rock,  in  the  direction  of  the 
lamina. 

§  96.  It  is  important,  how- 
ever, to  guard  against  misapprehension  respecting  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  contents  of  a  vein.  If  it  is  expected  that 
the  same  phenomena  attend  the  arrangement  of  vein  stuff,  it 
will  sometimes  lead  to  disappointment.  The  aggregation  of 
the  materials  admits  of  considerable  variety.  But  these  va- 
rieties throw  light  upon  the  mode  by  which  the  vein  was 
filled,  or  at  least  indicate  some  of  the  conditions.  A  vein  is 
sometimes  occupied  through  its  whole  breadth  by  one  sub- 
stance. Thus  the  Cathey  copper  vein  was  filled  with  a  mass 
of  copper  pyrites.  Passages  in  the  North-Carolina  mine  are 
filled  with  quartz  and  carbonate  of  iron,  each  occupying 
separate  zones,  to  which  succeed  fine  belts  of  copper  pyrites 
in  its  vein  stone  of  quartz. 

The  most  usual  condition  in  which  the  vein  is  found  filled, 
is  that  where  the  metal  is  interspersed  through  the  veinstone  ; 
though  the  favorable  arrangement  of  the  metal  will  be  that 
of  elongated  parallel-  masses,  taking  nearly  the  direction  of 
the  vein  fissure. 

The  position  of  the  metal  is  sometimes  in  the  middle  of  the 
vein,  as  in  Fig.  9.  In  others  it  is  upon  the  foot  wall,  as  was 
the  case  at  the  North-Carolina  mine.  Where  this  vein  car- 
ries  both  carb.  of  iron  and  copper  pyrites,  the  latter  occupied 


^'r 


90  NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    8UKVET. 

the  foot-wall,  while  the  former  occupied  the  hanging  wall, 
with  copper  pyrites  interspersed  through  it.  Even  in  nests 
of  ore,  as  well  as  in  regular  veins,  the  ore  takes  a  regular 
position  in  the  mass  usually  near  one  of  the  walls. 

The  parallelism  of  structure  is  very  remarkable  in  a  few  in- 
stances, in  the  mines  .of  the  old  world.  Thus,  the  Drei  Prin- 
zen  Spat  vein,  near  Freiberg,  a  section  of  which  shows  twen- 
ty-one parallel  lamina,  consisting  of  four  kinds  of  minerals, 
blende,  quartz,  fluor  spar,  blende,  heavy  spar,  sulphuret  of 
iron,  heavy  spar  fluor  spar,  sulphuret  of  iron  calcareous  spar. 
These  occupy  the  upper  side  of  the  vein ;  the  lower  consists 
of  precisely  the  same  substances  in  the  same  order,  two  par- 
allel bands  of  calc  spar  occupying  the  middle  of  the  fissure, 
and  each  on  one  side  has  its  corresponding  lamina,  or  comb, 
on  the  other. 

§  97.  Forms  of  the  metal  hearing  spaces  in  lodes. — Those 
who  have  formed  their  ideas  of  a  lode  from  books,  will  proba- 
bly perceive,  on  actual  examination,  that  they  have  much  to 
learn.  A  lode  rarely  extends  continuously  downward,  with- 
out certain  interruptions  or  alternations  which  are  rather  uni- 
form and  of  a  peculiar  kind.  It  is  true,  in  some  instances,  as 
stated,  the  continuity  is  unbroken ;  and  the  threatened  break 
amounts  only  to  a  contraction,  as  the  Rossie  lead  mine, 
(Fig.  9,)  shows.  But  the  most  frequent  form  of  the  metal 
bearing  spaces  in  the  lodes  of  North-Carolina,  are  tolerably 
distinct  from  each  other,  and  are  arranged  in  lenticular  seg- 
ments. The  segments  lie  nearly  parallel  in  the  slates  to  the 
planes  of  bedding ;  each  segment  also  has  its  own  investment 
of  partings  around  it,  which  separates  it  imperfectly  from 
those  adjacent  to  it.  Tlie  lower  edge  of  the  segment  over- 
laps or  extends  beyond  the  next  succeeding  one  beneath,  and 
from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  thin  parting  of  slate.  The 
succeeding  one,  therefore,  so  far  as  its  upper  edge  is  con- 
cerned, lies  behind  the  former,  and  against  the  foot-wall.  If 
the  entire  series  of  segments  are  examined,  they  are  found 
to  lie  in  echellon ;  and  sometimes  where  the  lode  dips  at  as 
high  an  angle  as  80°,  for  example,  the  fissure  is  vertical,  and 
the  shaft  in  descending  cuts  all  the  segments  from  top  to  bot- 


NORTH-CABOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  91 

torn.  Each  segment  makes  an  offset  against  the  foot-wall, 
but  lies  obliquely  across  the  fissure,  so  that  its  upper  and 
lower  edges  touch  or  lie  against  each  wall. 

In  most  veins,  an  arrangement  of  this  kind  is  more  or  less 
distinct.  In  the.  Gold  Hill  vein  is  a  perfect  example  of  the 
kind  I  have  described. 

The  length  of  the  segments  are  variable,  sometimes  ten  or 
twelve  leet;  and  their  thickness  is  of  course  dependent  up- 
on that  of  the  vein  fissure.  In  some  instances  the  segments 
are  so  distinct  that  on  being  removed  the  lode  seems  to  have 
run  out,  but  on  working  back  to  the  foot-wall,  another  seg- 
ment is  encountered  of  the  same  form.  The  Pioneer  mine, 
in  Cabarrus  county,  which  is  in  syenitic  granite,  is  another 
fine  exhibition  of  this  arrangement.  It  does  not  therefore 
appear  to  belong,  or  to  be  produced,  by  the  character  of  the 
rock  in  which  the  lode  is  formed. 

§  98.  The  lenticular  masses,  described  in  the  foregoing  par- 
agraphs, are  frequently  called  bunches  by  miners.  These 
bunches  are,  however,  frequently  subordinate  to  still  larger 
segments  of  the  lode,  through  which  the  riches  are  distrib- 
uted. The  larger  segments  form  bands  or  belts  extending 
from  the  top  to  the  great  depths  below ;  and  which,  taken  as 
a  whole,  are  quite  uniform  in  their  productiveness.  These 
rich  belts,  or  as  they  are  usually  called,  jpockets^  alternate 
wtth  poor  ones.  So  the  lode,  therefore,  taken  as  a  whole, 
has  first  its  greater  divisions  of  rich  and  poor  belts  or  pock- 
ets alternating,  which  is  illustrated  in  the  Gold  Hill  vein  ; 
and  then  these  belts,  whether  rich  or  poor,  are  formed  by  len- 
ticular masses  lying  obliquely  across  the  vein  fissure.  To  the 
eye,  the  poor  belts  furnish  no  characteristics  by  which  they 
can  be  distinguished,  with  certainty,  from  the  rich  ones. 
Experiments  only  bring  to  light  the  fact.  The  foregoing  pre- 
sents features  in  a  lode  which  should  not  be  lost  sight  of, 
either  in  the  first  explorations  or  in  subsequent  workings  of 
it.  The  theory  which  we  may  adopt  respecting  the  mode  in 
which  a  vein  is  filled,  must  also  take  in  this  feature  of  it,  in- 
asmuch as  it  may  be  regarded  as  a  law  in  the  distribution  of 
the  vein  stuff.     It  is  not  simply  that  the  metal  lies  in  bunches. 


92  KOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUKNBT. 

but  the  form  of  tliese  subordinate  masses  must  be  taken  into 
the  account,  and  it  not  only  afiects  the  bunches  of  metal,  but 
the  vein  stone  also. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Geological  ranges  of  the  Ores  or  MetalSy — Are  c&rtain  Metals 
confined  tc  any  certain  RocTts  f 

§  99.  Although  the  formations  in  North-Carohna  are  quite 
limited  wlien  geological  epochs  are  counted,  and  though  this 
subject  may  not  be  as  important  as  it  M^ould  if  the  range  of 
rocks  were  greater,  still  its  principles  find  many  ilhistrations 
in  the  mining  districts  of  the  State. .  It  cannot  fail  to  be  use- 
ful when  our  knowledge  of  the  range  is  derived  from  foreign 
lands  which  have  long  been  explored  for  the  metals. 

I  have  occasion  to  speak  of  only  a  few  of  the  metals  in 
this  connexion,  those,  for  example,  which  are  economically 
or  commercially  important;  and  the  order  in  which  they  re- 
quire to  be  noticed  is  determined  mainly  by  the  geological 
relations  they  hold  to  each  other. 

§  100.  Tin. — ^This  metal  is  spoken  of  here  for  the  opportu- 
nity it  gives  me  for  saying  that  there  is  no  probability  of  its 
being  found  in  Korth-Carolina.  It  belongs  geologically  to 
the  oldest  quartz  or  granites,  and  the  oldest  slates  or  killas,  as. 
they  are  called  by  Cornish  miners.  It  is  associated  with  cop- 
per ;  and  many  of  the  Cornish  lodes  contain  tin  at  the  surface 
and  copper  below.  The  stanniferous  rocks  of  Cornwall,  con- 
sist of  quartzose  granites,  hornblende  slate  and  clay  slate,  all 
of  which  are  traversed  by  granitic  veins  which  are  mostly 
quartz  and  greenstone  dykes,  which  are  called  elvans  by  the 
miners.  They  therefore  make  no  distinction  between  slates 
which  differ  so  much  in  composition  as  the  hornblende  and 


NOKTH-CAROLmA   GEOLOGICAL    8UBVEY.  9S 

clay  slates.  The  granites  of  Cornwall  contain  much  schorl 
and  mineral,  which  is  rather  rare  in  tlie  granites  of  North- 
Carolina.  The  relation,  however,  of  the  granite  to  clay  slate, 
and  killas  and  quartz  seams,  is  much  the  same  as  in  Corn- 
wall. But  in  the  latter  country  the  tin  ore  is  and  was  scat- 
tered over  the  surface  very  much,  as  our  gold  ores  are  here. 
There  was  no  difficulty  in  discovering  the  tin  of  Cornwall, 
and  there  has  been  no  impediment  to  the  discovery  of  gold 
here ;  and  after  much  search  for  tin  and  its  indications,  it 
seems  there  is  little  prospect  of  its  discovery. 

The  ores  of  copper  take  a  much  wider  range  than  tin,  al- 
though they  are  almost  constantly  associated  in  certain  rocks. 
Copper  is,  however,  most  frequently  found  in  the  oldest  rocks. 
[t  is  in  granite  and  the  adjoining  slates  in  the  Carolinas  and 
Virginia.  It  is  in  a  native  or  metallic  state  in  the  Potsdam 
sandstone  and  igneous  rocks  of  lake  Superior. 

Mr.  Murchison  observed  veins  of  copper  in  the  Devonian 
series  in  Russia.  The  Triassic  or  I^ew  Ked  sandstone  con- 
tains copper  also,  which  seems  to  be  the  most  recent  forma- 
tion, which  furnishes  it  in  workable  quantities. 

§  101.  The  language  used  respecting  the  occurrence  of 
metal  in  ditferent  rocks,  seems  to  be  somewhat  loose  and  un- 
intelligible. Thus,  Sir  H.  De  LaBeche  remarks,  with  res- 
pect to  tin  and  copper,  that  where  granite  and  elvan  are  near 
these  metals  or  their  ores,  they  so  abound  that  they  may  be 
worked,  and  produce  good  mines.  Hence,  he  again  remarks^ 
we  might  infer  that  granite  or  elvan  had  considerable  intlu- 
ence  in  promoting  the  presence  of  tin  or  copper  ores,  which 
either  occur  in  them  or  in  other  rocks  in  their  vicinity  ;  while 
the  granite  influence  was  not  essential  to  the  accumulation  of 
the  ores  of  lead,  antimony,  manganese,  zinc  or  iron,  as  the 
case  may  be,  in  quantities  to  be  profitably  worked.  There 
are  so  many  exceptions  to  the  influence  which  is  here  spoken 
of,  that  it  is  questionable  whether  we  should  continue  to  re- 
gard it  of  much  consequence,  although  it  is  backed  by  high 
authority.  There  is,  however,  this ;  workable  veins  of  ore  are 
usually  in  a  disturbed  district,  as  I  have  observed  in  another 
place,  or  in  a  district  in  which   elvan   and   granite   dikes 


94  "  NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

fibound.  Tlie  rock  of  the  country  may  be  granite,  or  Blate  or 
limestone ;  and  each  may,  or  may  not  be  metaliferous  ;  where 
it  is  disturbed  by  igneous  rocks,  the  probabihties  are  much 
increased  thereby ;  if  they  are  absent,  the  probabihties  are 
much  diminished. 

§  102.  The  ores  of  iron  and  manganese  have  by  far  the 
widest  distribution,  both  geologically  and  geographically. 
The  magnetic  and  specular  ores  ^re  widely  distributed  in  the 
granitic  series,  in  gneiss,  mica  and  talcose  slates,  and  primary 
limestone.  Proceeding  upwards  in  the  geologic  scale,  they 
appear  in  workable  quantities  in  the  Taconic  system,  as  in 
Xorth-Carolina  and  in  the  Lake  Superior  district.  In  the 
upper  Silurian,  in  the  carboniferous  and  new  red  or  Triassic 
system.  Hematites,  accompanied  with  manganese,  occur  in 
the  drift,  and  the  bog  ores  are  also  widely  di^ributed.  Similar 
deposits  seem  to  belong  to  all  ages.  They  are  frequently  the 
products  of  mineral  springs  which  now  cease  to  flow ;  but 
which  have  left  thin  deposits  among  the  tertiaries  and  most 
recent  formations.  The  silicate  of  manganese  occurs,  in  the 
oldest  slates  in  veins. 

Antimony  ores,  according  to  De  LaBeche,  are  chiefly 
obtained  in  fair  abundance  in  those  portions  of  the  granitic 
districts,  which  are  much  associated  with  trappean  rocks. 
Oxide  of  manganese  occurs  also  in  the  same  rocks  contigu- 
ous to  the  traps  just  spoken  of. 

§  103.  The  sulphuret  of  zinc  is  associated  with  both  tin 
and  copper,  but  more  frequently  with  the  latter.  In  the 
mining  districts  of  Cornwall,  zinc  is  very  widely  distributed. 
The  red  oxide  of  Sussex  county,  New  Jersey,  is  connected 
with,  the  primary  limestone,  its  epoch  is  not  determined. 
The  sulphuret  of  zinc  in  North-Caroliua,  belongs  to  the  Ta- 
conic rocks,  and  is  only  found  in  considerable  quantities  at 
the  "Washington  mine.  Carbonate  of  zinc  or  calamine,  is 
confined  in  England  to  the  carboniferous  formation,  and  is 
probably  in  this  country  referred  to  the  same  or  nearly  the 
same  epoch.  Galena  or  sulphuret  of  lead  has  a  wide  distri- 
bution. It  is  found  in  veins  in  gneiss  and  granite  in  this 
country,  and  from  these  ancient  rocks  it  ranges  up  to  the  car- 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  95 

boniferous  series.  Galena,  zinc,  silver,  gold  and  copper  are 
associated  in  the  Washington  mine,  in  Davidson  county. 
Antimony  and  galena  occur  in  the  gold  region  of  Georgia, 
in  certain  parts  of  the  Gum-log  mine. 

§  104.  Gold  is  the  associate  of  the  sulphurets  of  copper 
and  iron.  The  sulphuret  of  iron  alone  and  quartz,  may  be 
regarded  as  the  true  associates  of  this  metal,  and  it  may  be 
with  gold  as  with  silver ;  the  latter  though  occurring  in  the 
same  vein  with  sulphuret  of  zinc  and  lead,  yet  is  rather  at- 
tached to  the  latter  than  the  former ;  and  so  it  may  be  con- 
jectured that  gold,  when  it  occurs  in  the  same  vein  with  sul- 
phuret of  copper  and  iron,  is  mixed  with  the  latter  rather 
than  with  the  former.  Gold  veins  traverse  gneiss  and  horn- 
blende, mica  and  talcose  slates.  These  are  the  oldest  slate 
rocks,  and  belong  to  the  Blue  Ridge.  Another  set  or  group 
of  auriferous  veins  belong  to  the  Taconic  system.  Previous- 
ly to  1855,  I  had  inferred  that  the  auriferous  veins  of  the  two 
series  belonged  to  the  same  epoch.  But  this  position  appears 
to  be  untenable  now,  in  consequence  of  the  discovery  that 
auriferous  beds  also  occur  in  the  Taconic  system.  The  gold 
of  these  sedimentary  beds  must,  of , course,  have  been  deriv- 
ed from  the  preexisting  lodes  of  the  hornblende,  mica  and 
talcose  slates.  So  far  as  this  country  is  concerned,  no  discov- 
eries of  gold  in  veins  have  been  made  in  rocks  of  a  later  date 
than  those  of  the  Taconic  system. 

§  105.  Cobalt  is  found  in  a  hornblendic  gness  at  Chatham, 
Connecticut ;  it  is  associated  with  iron  pyrites ;  it  is  called 
copper  nickel,  being  a  compound  of  cobalt  nickel  and  arse- 
nic. Silver  is  associated  with  lead,  but  it  is  in  this  relation 
in  the  older  rocks.  Small  quantities  of  sulphuret  of  silver 
occur  in  Montgomery  county,  in  the  slates.  Cobalt,  silver 
and  arsenic  are  found  in  some  of  the  latest  formations  in  Eu- 
rope. These  substances  occur  in  the  veins  of  Joachimsthal 
of  the  epoch  of  the  Tertiary.  They  are  probably  the  latest 
veins,  whose  age  is  determinable  by  the  age  of  the  forma- 
tions through  which  they  pass.  In  this  instance,  the  geo- 
graphical relation  of  the  veins  to  igneous  or  eruptive  rocks 
is  quite  manifest,  and  it  may  be  regarded  as  due  to  this  influ- 


i 
■96  NOBTH-CAKOLESrA   GEOLOGIC AJ.    8UKVEY, 

ence,  that  the  vein  fissures  became  charged  with  the  ores  of 
the  metals  in  question.  There  are  no  instances  known  in 
England  or  France  of  vein  fissures  occurring  in  the  lias, 
oolite,  or  any  of  the  later  formations.  The  Atlantic  slope 
from  New  Jersey  to  Alabama,  is  in  part  overlaid  with  Creta- 
ceous, New  Red  sandstone  and  Tertiary  ;  but  there  are  no  re- 
positories of  the  ores  in  that  distance,  which  are  connected 
with  these  later  formations,  excepting  that  of  copper  in  the 
New  Red  sandstone.  Mercury  is  said  to  occur  in  gneiss  and 
older  slate  rocks.  In  Idria,  it  is  associated  with  coal  shales 
in  the  condition  of  a  sulphuret. 

§  106.  The  results  to  which  observation  tends  are,  1st, 
That  the  original  repositories  of  the  ores  are  to  be  sought  for 
in  the  primary  and  Palaeozoic  rocks;  2d,  That  it  is  in  the' re- 
gion of  the  primary  tliat  they  may  be  expected ;  3c},  That  it 
is  in  the  vicinity  of  eruptive  rocks,  granite,  trap  and  porphy- 
ry, that  the  probabilities  of  their  existence  is  greatly  increas- 
ed. Still,  many  districts  where  irruptive  rocks  are  extensive, 
furnish  only  traces  of  a  metaliferous  region,  as  a  part  of  New 
England  proves.  In  these  rmarks,  iron  may  be  regarded  as 
an  exception,  inasmuch  as  it  is  common  alike  to  many  dis- 
tricts, while  lead,  zinc,  copper,  gold,  etc.,  are  more  generally 
restricted  to  certain  tolerably  well  defined  districts. 

§  107.  Are  veins  of  any  of  the  metals  confined  to  certain 
'  rocks? — Whether  any  of  the  ores  of  the  metals  are  confined  to 
certain  rocks,  is  not  to  be  expected  in  a  restricted  sense. 
,Some  are  confined,  probably,  to  a  limited  series,  as  the  pri- 
mary schists;  and  some  others  seem  to  be  associated  more 
frequently  with  a  given  rock,  as  chromate  of  iron  with  ser- 
pentine. 

Several  chemical  combinations  of  the  metals  pass  through 
a  wide  range  of  formations.  No  mineral  substance  is  more 
common  than  iron  pyrites.  It  is  disseminated  in  most  rocks  ; 
and  it  occurs,  also,  in  veins.  It  is  found  in  sandstone,  all  the 
limestones  and  slates,  of  all  ages,  and  in  the  tertiary ;  it  is  a 
mineralizer  of  wood  in  volcanic  and  sedimentary  rocks. 

§  108.  Copper  pyrites,  though  widely  disseminated,  ia 
much  less  so  than  iron  pyrites ;  and  its  quantity  is  usually 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   8UEVET.  97 

less  where  the  two  occupy  the  same  lode.  Copper  is  res- 
tricted rather  to  tlie  older  rocks,  but  is  not  confined  to  a 
limestone,  sandstone  or  slate. 

Manganese  is  also  widely  diffused ;  but  when  it  is  found  in 
the  more  recent  formations,  it  is  derived,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
oxide  of  iron,  from  pre-existing  repositories.  Gold  is  restrict- 
ed in  its  range,  but  not  confined  to  one  rock.  Tin  is  confined 
to -the  oldest  rocks,  but  not  restricted  to  one.  Mercury, 
which  is  restricted  to  a  few  districts,  is  not  confined  to  one 
rock.  Platina  and  its  associates  are  referred  to  the  serpen- 
tines. 

It  appears,  therefore,  that  though  certain  ores  have  a  res- 
tricted range,  yet  they  do  not  appear  to  be  confined  absolute- 
ly to  one  rock.  Gold  is  rarely  found  in  limestone  and  ser- 
pentine, but  in  North-Carolina  it  is  sometimes  found  in  both 
of  these  rocks. 


CHAPTER   XVII„ 

iJircumstances  tJbhich  favor  the  accumulation  of  Ore  in 
Masses — State  of  the  adjacent  Moch,  {sometimes  called  the 
country^  which  appears  to  favor  the  accumulation  of  Ore 
in  a  Vein —  Vicinity  of  E  Ivans — Passage  of  a  Vein  from 
■&ne  Rock  to  another — Condition  of  the  Walls  of  a  Vein. 

§  109.  The  contents  of  a  vein  is  often  found  to  have  accu- 
mulated at  certain  points.  Miners  as  well  as  geologists  have 
ascribed  these  enlargements  to  certain  causes.  When,  for 
example,  two  veins  cross  each  other,  the  ore  at  the  point  of 
intersection  is  twice  as  great  as  in  either  of  the  intersecting 
veins.  This  fact  is  so  common,  that  when  two  veins  are  in-' 
clined  to  each  other,  and  if  prolonged  will  intersect,  it  is 
confidently  expected  that  it  will  yield  a  much  larger  amount 
7 


98  NOKTH-CAIlOLmA   GEOLOGICAL    StTRVET. 

of  ore.  This  is  one  of  tlie  most  frequent  and  constant  facta 
in  mining  whicli  can  be  relied  upon,  or  which,  it  it  occurs, 
may  be  rehed  upon  for  increasing  the  product  of  the  lode. 
This  expectation  is  carried  still  farther ;  when,  for  instance, 
two  bunches  or  pockets  of  ore  in  the  same  vein  are  approach- 
ing each  other,  at  the  place  of  meeting  it  is  expected  the  ore 
will  be  increased. 

§  110.  The  same  result  takes  place  when  a  vein  crosses  an 
elvan  or  dyke,  De  LaBeche  remarks  upon  this  subject,  that 
the  connexion  between  bunches  of  ore  in  fissure,  where  they 
traverse  the  elvans,  is  well  understood  by  the  practical  min- 
ers of  Cornwall.  One  of  the  most  remarkable  examples  giv- 
en in  illustration  of  the  fact  is,  that  of  the  Wheal  Alfred, 
near  Guinear.  The  elvan  crossed  by  the  vein  is  about  three 
hundred  feet  thick ;  the  vein  crosses  it  at  an  angle  of  about 
25°.  The  elvan  dips  K.  W.  at  an  angle  of  45°.  The  inter- 
secting lode  dips  at  an  angle  of  Y2°.  The  lode  was  in  slate, 
and  produced  some  ore  while  in  it ;  but  upon  entering  the 
elvan  it  became  much  richer  and  increasing  in  value,  when 
it  finally  yielded  an  amount  of  ore  which  was  sufficient  to 
give  a  profit  of  £140,000  sterling  to  the  adventurers.  After 
quitting  the  elvan,  and  again  entering  the  slate  below,  the 
lode  became  poor,  and  eventually  was  abandoned  on  this  ac- 
count. 

§  111.  Sometimes  a  lode  in  crossing  an  elvan  is  split  in 
strings,  and  though  the  amount  of  ore  may.  not  be  diminish- 
ed, it  will  increase  the  expense  of  mining  considerably,  in 
consequence  of  the  large  amount  of  rock  which  may  be  ne- 
cessary to  raise  and  dress.  The  cases  belonging  to  the  kind 
under  consideration  as  'a  whole,  furnish  a  large  per  cent,  in 
favor  of  the  increase  of  ore  in  the  dykes,  or  while  the  vein  is 
crossing  them.  When  the  vein  passes  between  the  elvan  and 
the  rock,  prior  to  its  intersection,  the  bunch  of  ore  is  also  in- 
creased. 

§  112.  Yeins  are  supposed  also  to  be  more  promising  in 
the  vicinity  of  elvans  and  other  eruptive  rocks.  All  these 
facts  seem  to  point  to  the  influence  which  igneous  matter  has 
upon  fissures,  probably  in  opening  passages  from  beneath 


yOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  99 

upwards.  The  foregoing  is  in  accordance  with  the  prevail- 
ing opinions  of  the  captains  of  mines  in  Cornwall,  where  it 
is  said  that  the  greatest  quantities  of  copper  ores  are  found 
in  the  neighborhood  of  large  elvan  courses.  This  view  it  is 
important  to  examine  ;  for,  in  the  mming  districts  of  North- 
Carohna,  large  dykes  or  elvan  courses  form  one  of  the  inter- 
esting features  of  the  country,  as  I  shall  have  an  opportunity 
for  showing  in  the  progress  of  this  report. 

§  113.  There  are  many  points  of  interest  connected  with 
the  intersection  of  lodes  one  with  another,  or  with  dykes, 
which  are  not  by  any  means  sufficiently  elucidated  or  estab- 
lished. Thus,  at  what  angle  is  the  most  favorable  for  an 
increase  of  metal,  or  is  the  angle  of  intersection  only  a 
secondary  point  ?  Is  there  any  connection  between  the  in- 
crease of  metal  in  the  lode  and  the  texture  of  the  dyke 
which  is  intersected  ?  or  is  there  any  connection  between  the 
increase  of  metal  and  the  kind  of  elvan  lithologically  con- 
sidered ?  The  foregoing,  together  with  many  other  inquiries 
important  in  mining,  can  only  be  satisfactorily  answered  by 
records  duly  made  by  intelligent  agents  or  captains  of  mines, 
who  feel  sufficient  interest  in  the  matter  to  note  all  the  facts 
pertaining  to  the  subject  at  the  time  when  they  come  under 
observation. 

§  114.  The  condition  of  the  adjacent  rock  is  also  supposed 
to  influence  the  production  of  the  vein ;  or,  as  the  miner 
would  say,  the  richness  of  the  vein  is  dependent  upon  the 
country.  Thus  in  certain  Cornwall  tin  and  copper  mines,  the 
lodes  were  rich  where  the  clay  slates  were  of  a  blueish  white 
color,  and  poor  where  they  were  black.  In  another  mine  it 
was  productive  while  in  moderately  hard  killas  ;  but  when  it 
entered  a  stratum  of  hard  killas,  the  riches  were  cut  out. 
Other  instances  are  given  where  the  same  unfortunate  change 
occurred  on  passing  from  softer  to  harder  slates.  So  in  cases 
of  granite,  where  it  was  soft,  the  lode  was  rich ;  but  on  en- 
tering into  a  hard  part  of  it,  it  became  poor.  These  cases, 
however,  do  not  seem  to  be  perfectly  satisfactory,  other  causes 
may  have  operated  to  have  induced  the  change  observed ; 
or,  inasmuch  as  veins  change  even  when  the  rock  preserves  a 


100  NOETH-CAEOLINA    GEOLOGICAL   SUKVEY. 

uniform  texture,  the  change  may  have  been  only  one  of  those 
alternations  met  with  in  every  day  mining  experience.  So, 
also,  the  passage  of  a  lode  from  one  rock  to  another  is  usual^ 
iy  attended  with  a  change  in  its  value,  increasing  in  some 
cases,  diminishing  in  others.  Sometimes  a  lode  is  rich  in  the 
slate,  and  becomes  poor  on  passing  into  granite  ;  in  others^  it 
is  poor  in  granite,  but  becomes  rich  in  slate.  So  it  would 
appear  that  the  rock  itself  does  not  control  its  mineral 
wealth ;  or,  if  the  position  is  too  broad,  it  may  be  said  with 
truth  that  it  does  not  exclusively  control  it.  The  value  of  the 
lode  in  either  case  may  be  increased  by  an  elvan  course, 
which  exists  in  one  instance  and  not  in  another.  The  facts 
are  too  meagre,  the  observations  too  limited,  to  enable  us  to 
predict,  with  certainty,  respecting  the  nature  of  the  change 
which  is  to  be  expected  in  any  given  case,  or  whether  a 
change  will  take  place  at  all  ;  though  it  is  pretty  well  estab- 
lished that  a  change  of  ground  produces  a  change  of  metals. 
In  one  or  two  instances  in  ISTorth-Carolina,  a  lode,  in  passing 
from  slate  into  granite,  continued  to  be  equally  rich  in  the 
latter,  as  in  the  former  rock. 

§  116.  The  condition  of  the  walls  of  a  vein  are  also  sup- 
posed to  influence  the  richness  as  well  as  the  quantity  of  ore 
in  it.  A  firm,  hard,  well  defined  wall,  is  regarded  as  the 
most  favorable  condition ;  if  the  walls  on  the  contrary  are 
soft,  they  do  not  hold  the  metal.  So  the  presence  oi  fl.uhan 
is  a  favorable  omen,  according  to  Cornish  miners^  Walls, 
however,  may  have  been  originally  firm,  but  in  consequence 
of  the  decomposition  of  the  sulphurets,  may  be  softened 
and  broken  down.  Their  present  state  then,  does  not  neces- 
sarily decide  what  influence  they  have  exerted  upon  the  lode, 
as  in  the  cases  respecting  the  influence  of  the  rock  on  its 
lodes ;  so  it  may  be  said  that  the  influence  of  the  walls  on 
the  contents  between  them  is  not  well  understood.  It  is  dif- 
ficult to  distinguish  between  accidental  circumstances  and 
necessary  results  or  causes ;  the  relation  between  antecedents 
and  consequents.  It  is  not  possible  to  decide  what  influence 
a  distant  centre  of  force  has,  or  can  have,  in  the  production 
of  certain  phenomena.     There  are,  for  instance,  a  complica- 


NOKTH-CABOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  101 

tion  of  forces  ;  a  subterranean  force  in  which  heat  may  play 
its  part,  and  electrical  forces  which  circulate  in  the  earth's 
crust,  which  play  their  part  also.  Observations  require  to  be 
multiplied  before  some  of  the  common  and  prevalent  notions 
of  miners  can  be  received  as  decisive  judgments.  Observa- 
tions which  are  conducted  properly,  and  those  tabulated,  will 
lead  to  judgments  which  will  be  useful  in  a  new  mining  re- 
gion, and  probably  in  all  mining  countries. 

§  117.  I  have  treated  of  vein  fissures  and  other  reposito- 
ries of  the  ores  and  metals  in  the  preceding  chapter  at  some 
length,  but  it  remains  to  classify  and  arrange  them  according 
to  the  characters  which  belong  respective!}'^  to  each  kind. 
Kow  the  forces  which  act  upon  the  rocks  within  the  sphere 
of  observation,  and  which  break  the  continuity  of  strata,  are 
by  no  means  numerous ;  and  it  so  happens,  that  though  the 
forces  may  differ,  still  the  results  are  quite  similar  in  certain 
respects ;  thus  the  cooling  of  the  earth's  crust  opens  deep  fis- 
sures or  rents,  and  so  also  the  desiccation  of  rocks  must  pro- 
duce cracks  by  shrinkage.  In  igneous  rocks,  and  those  form- 
ing a  greater  part  of  the  earth's  surface  in  the  era  when  vein 
fissures  must  have  been  the  most  frequent  occurrence,  the 
fissures  were  the  effect  of  cooling.  In  the  era  of  sediments 
on  the  contrary,  especially  those  which  are  calcareous  and 
argillaceous,  desiccation  cracks  must  have  been  the  most  fre- 
quent. Desiccation  cracks,  however,  differ  from  fissures  pro- 
duced by  cooling,  in  the  depth.  By  simple  drying,  fissures 
may  be  confined  to  a  single  rock;  and  it  probably  will  be 
also  checked  with  numerous  cracks.  In  fissures  from  cooling 
of  the  crust,  we  may  recognize  a  general  force ;  in  desicca- 
tion, a  local  one.  In  the  former,  too,  it  is  probable  that  fis- 
sures would  be  accompanied  with  the  shifting  of  the  position 
of  rocks,  which  would  operate  to  extend  them.  There  is 
Btill  one  more  mode  by  which  the  earth's  crust  may  be,  and 
is  fissured,  as  well  as  dislocated,  viz.,  the  action  by  the  elastic 
vapours  and  gasses,  which  no  doubt  become  pent  up  and 
confined,  until,  by  accumulation,  the  force  breaks  the  conti- 
nuity of  the  strata.     Sometimes,  in  the  movements  produced. 


102  irOKTH-CAEOLTNA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

the  strata  subside  ;  at  other  times  they  are  elevated  or  shift- 
ed, as  represented  in  fig.  14* 

Fig.  14.  ^]^q  jjiost  important  forces  by  which 

the  earth  or  its  upper  rocks  are  fissur- 
ed, rent  or  separated,  may  be  reduced 
to  three  :  1.  Fissures  by  secular  refrige- 
ration ;  2.  Drying  and  desiccation  of 
sediments ;  and  3.  The  action  of  elas- 
tic gasseous  bodies  disengaged  in  the  interior  of  the  earth. 

§  118.  l^otwithstanding  the  foregoing  statement  respect- 
ing the  nature  of  the  forces  which  produce  fractures  and  fis- 
sures in  the  earth's  crust,  still  they  do  not  furnish  the  neces- 
sary characteristics  for  distinguishing  the  different  rej)Osito- 
ries  of  the  metals  from  each  other.  Indeed  these  reposito- 
ries scarcely  admit  of  a  scientific  classification.  We  may 
enumerate,  however,  certain  kinds  of  repositories  which  seem 
to  be  distinct  from  the  others,  and  which  it  is  useful  to  notice. 

(a.)  those  repositories  which  are  cotemporaneous  with 

THE   ROCK. 

1.  The  first  includes  those  repositories  where  the  ores  are 
disseminated  in  the  rock  in  grains,  and  small  and  large 
masses,  as  chrome  ore  in  serpentine;  magnetic  iron  ore  in 
the  hypersthene  rock  of  the  Adirondacks  in  northern  I*s^ew 
York ;  the  specular  ore,  in  some  instances,  in  pyrocrystalhne 
limeBtone. 

2.  The  second,  seggregated  secrnis,  which  present  a  welted 
appearance  upon  the  surface  of  the  rock.  Particles  and 
small  masses  of  metal  are  arranged  in  lines  along  such  seams, 
but  they  are  usually  stony,  and  are  cotemporaneous  with  the 
rock,  so  far  as  the  materials  are  concerned,  which  form  the 
seggregations.  They  rarely  contain  sufficient  metal  to  pay 
the  expense  of  extraction. 

3.  The  third,  beds  or  deposits  of  metal  which  are  formed 
during  the  period  when  the  rock  was  forming  or  being  depos- 
ited. Some  of  the  gold  *»epositories  of  North-Carolina  be- 
long to  this  kind,  and  all  the  iron  ores  which  are  stratified  in 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  103 

the  sediments.  They  belong  to  all  the  systems  which  have 
been  recognized  ;  the  oolite  ore  of  the  upper  Silurian  in  New 
York  and  Yirginia,  the  iron  balls  and  stratified  deposits  of 
the  carboniferous  system,  etc.,  are  among  the  most  important. 

(b.)  vein  fissures  wHien  have  been  produced  after  the  con- 
solidation  OF  THE  ROCK,  AND   SUBSEQUENTLY  FILLED. 

1.  The  first  contains  the  granitic  and  trappean  veins  or 
dykes.  They  are  true  veins  which  were  filled  with  stony 
matter,  immediately  after  the  fissure  was  formed. 

2.  The  second,  fissures  which  remain  open  and  are  slowly 
filled  with  stony  and  metallic  matter  in  aggregations  quite 
variable  in  their  arrangements  and  relations.  To  this  kind 
belong  the  veins  of  workable  ores,  sulphurets,  etc. 

3.  The  third,  desiccation  cracks^  they  are  sometimes  filled 
in  part  with  the  ores,  but  generally  with  sparry  limestone, 
sulphate  of  barytes,  etc.  Cracks  in  septaria,  in  clay  slate,  in 
limestone  and  other  rocks,  with  lenticular  shaped  fissures  be- 
long to  this  kind,  provided  they  begin  and  end  in  the  rock. 

§  119.  Repositories  of  ores  occur,  of  which  it  is  difficult  to 
offer  a  satisfactory  explanation  of  their  production,  or  of  the 
mode  in  which  they  were  filled  ;  among  which  I  am  disposed 
to  place  the  copper  ore  of  the  New  Red  sandstone,  and  the 
lead  ores  of  Missouri  in  Silurian  limestone.  The  former, 
however.  Prof.  Rogers  is  disposed  to  regard  as  irregular  re- 
positories, and  perhaps  filled  by  cupreous  emanations  from 
beneath ;  and  so  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  repositories  of 
galena  in  the  western  limestones  may  be  regarded  as  irregu- 
lar vein  fissures,  which  were  sufliciently  extensive  and  deep 
to  form  connexion  with  the  pyrocrystalline  or  eruptive  rocks. 

The  assumption  may  appear  unwarrantable ;  but  when  we 
see  so  many  illustrations  of  the  fact,  that  fissures  are  in  prox- 
imity to  eruptive  rocks,  and  very  uncommon  in  those  at  a 
distance,  the  assumption  appears  less  hazardous.  It  is  sus- 
tained also  by  established  principles,  and  appears  more  ra- 
tional than  the  theory  which  ascribes  their  formation  to  ma- 
terials in  the  rock,  and  subsequent  to  consolidation,  were  se- 
creted into  the  open  fissures.     It  is  true,  that  in  support  of 


104  NOKTH-CABOLINA  GEOLOaiCAL   SUEVEY. 

the  latter  there  is  no  question  respecting  the  filling  of  seama 
by  spar,  and  sometimes  it  is  intermingled  with  the  sulphurets. 

The  facts  show  that  it  is  in  accordance  with  known  phe- 
nomena, and  deserves  consideration  before  it  is  rejected, 
Tliose  which  are  most  important  in  North-Carolina,  are  the 
contemporaneous  beds,  as  the  gold  deposits.  The  dissemi- 
nated ores,  as  the  chrome  ore  and  the  vein  fissure. 

§  120.  Numerous  examples  of  the  occurrence  of  the  ox- 
ides in  such  relations  as  to  indicate  the  contemporaneous  ori- 
gin of  the  rock  and  ore,  are  furnished  in  the  instance  of 
chrome  in  serpentine.  Franklin  county  in  North-Carolina, 
and  Franklin  and  Hampshire  in  Massachusetts,  furnish  many 
instances  of  chrome  ore  imbeded  in  the  rock.  Serpentine  is 
a  rock  which  is  now  admitted  as  of  igneous  origin  ;  hence  it 
may  be  inferred  from  the  relation  of  chrome  to  the  rock, 
that  it  is  also  an  igneous  product,  contemporaneous  with  the 
rock. 

Serpentine,  in  northern  New  York,  contains  primary  lime- 
stone ;  and  large  blocks  of  serpentine  frequently  occur  in 
limestone.  Sometimes  they  form  a  rock  composed  of  equal 
parts  of  each.  These  may  be  supposed  to  have  been  acci- 
dental ;  or,  that  they  have  been  developed  in  a  magnesian 
paste  by  metamorphic  action.  This  view  is  inconsistent  with 
the  facts  revealed  in  St.  Lawrence  county,  New  York,  and 
westei-n  counties  of  North-Carolina.  In  New  York,  the  lime- 
stone is  beneath  the  Potsdam  sandstone,  and  is  an  unstratified 
rock,  and  has,  in  several  instances,  changed  the  Potsdam 
sandstone  by  contact.  It  is  with  this  unstratified  limestone 
that  the  serpentine  is  associated,  and  it  is  also  in  this  lime- 
stone that  the  specular  oxide  of  iron  is  imbedded  ;  it  is  as  it 
were  entangled  with  it,  and  became  so  when  in  a  pasty  condi- 
tion. If  the  views  of  geologists  are  true  respecting  the  con- 
nexion of  chrome  ore  with  serpentine,  analogy  may  Avell  lead 
us  to  apply  the  same  view  to  the  origin  of  the  specular  ore 
in  the  primary  limestone.  This  view,  however,  must  be  re- 
stricted to  certain  cases,  for  it  unquestionably  occurs  in  regu- 
lar veins.  These  may  be  obscured  at  the  surface  by  the  dis- 
integration of  the  ore  which  may  be  spread  out  widely  over 


NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  105 

the  surface  in  an  earthy  state,  and  appear  like  an  ordinary 
bed  of  hematite. 

§  121.  The  fact  just  stated  respecting  the  occurrence  of 
iron  ore  in  beds  requires  a  farther  notice  in  this  place.  Only 
two  of  the  oxides  of  the  metals  occur  in  the  soil,  or  in  the 
modern  deposits,  viz.,  iron  and  manganese.  It  is  scarcely 
necessary  to  remark  that  these  oxides  are  widely  distributed, 
and  it  happens  that  wherever  a  rock  is  undergoing  decompo- 
sition, we  find  one  or  both  of  these  oxides  as  products  of  the 
change.  In  many  accumulations  ot  debris,  we  can  discover 
iron  and  manganese  disseminated  through  the  porous  mass ; 
it  may  give  it  a  deep  red  stain,  or  red  and  purple  stain, 
which  indicates  the  pi-esence  of  both  oxides ;  or  these  oxides 
may  form  black  concretions  in  the  soil.  But  what  is  of  the 
most  importance,  is  the  accumulation  of  both  in  large  and 
extensive  beds.  Most  of  the  hematites  and  black  oxide  of 
manganese  belong  to  deposits  of  this  kind.  They  are  pro- 
ducts of  decomposition.  The  manganese,  though  widely  dif- 
fused, is  far  less  abundant  than  iron.  Manganese  is  evident- 
ly soluble  in  water  by  the  aid  of  carbonic  acid.  Infiltrations 
of  manganese  and  its  deposition  on  the  surfaces  of  sandstones, 
porphyries,  etc.,  in  dendritic  forms,  are  instances  of  solution- 
But  its  occurrence  upon  the  surfaces  of  the  natural  joints  of 
rocks  seems  to  be  due  to  another  cause. 

Iron,  in  a  state  of  hydrous  per  oxide,  is  not  confined  to  the 
soil  of  the  present ;  it  is  a  deposit  in  beds  in  most  of  the  sys- 
tems of  rocks,  the  Silurian,  Devonian,  Carboniferous  and 
Permian.  The  same  causes,  therefore,  have  been  operative 
.  in  the  distribution  of  iron  in  the  mode  I  have  indicated, 
throughout  the  sedimentary  period.  Its  source  cannot  al- 
ways be  told.  One  of  the  most  common  is  the  sulphuret  of 
iron,  which  is  confined  to  no  rock  or  epoch. 

§  122.  From  the  foregoing  facts,  it  appears  that  most  of 
the  vein  stone  and  metalic  combinations  possess  volatility  in 
tlie  presence  of  water  and  sulphur.  Possessing  therefore  this 
property,  sometimes  in  an  eminent  degree,  it  is  clear  that  it 
is  possible  that  they  may  be  introduced  into  the  cracks  and 
fissures  of  the  earth's  crust  in  a  state  of  vapor.     In  this  state, 


106  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

they  are  in  a  condition  to  penetrate  all  the  narrow  and  thread 
like  seams,  as  well  as  the  wider  and  more  important  vein  fis- 
sures. In  this  condition,  too,  the  materials  become  as  it  were 
incorporated,  to  a  certain  extent,  with  the  rock  through  the 
medium  of  its  pores  and  open  structure.  These  vapours  pos- 
sess a  decomposing  activity  upon  the  surfaces  of  rocks  with 
which  they  come  in  contact ;  though  it  may  not  be  possible 
to  determine  now,  in  the  decomposed  vein  stuff,  and  the  in- 
closed walls,  what  is  due  to  the  contact  of  vapours,  or  the 
active  elements  which  are  subsequently  disengaged  by  the 
decomposition  of  the  sulphurets. 

It  is  not  inconsistent  with  known  facts  and  phenomena  to 
infer  too,  that  veins  may  be  filled  in  part  by  igneous  injec- 
tion, and  in  part  by  vaporization.  Phenomena  seem  to  indi- 
cate that  fissures  have  been  enlarged  or  widened  after  they 
have  been  filled  ;  or  that  the  vein  stone  has  been  moved  up- 
on itself,  or  has  been  shoved  upwards  against  the  walls.  The 
evidence  of  movements  exists  in  the  striated  surfaces  of  the 
wall  and  matter  filling  the  vein.  These  striations  are  known 
by  the  name  of  slickensides.  The  same  force  which  pro- 
duce slickensides  may  also  widen  the  fissure,  and  give  there- 
by access  to  the  vapour  generated  beneath,  and  at  great 
depths. 

Mineral  veins  are  both  complex  and  compound  in  their 
structure  Complexity  may  therefore  be  expected  to  have 
ensued  in  the  details  of  their  filling.  That  these  are  not  al- 
ways to  be  ascribed  to  one  cause  is  evident,  and  the  recogni- 
tion of  those  forces,  of  which  we  have  the  clearest  evidence, 
are  developed  through  the  instrumentality  of  a  high  tem- 
perature beneath  the  earth's  crust,  will  go  far  to  explain  ma- 
ny phenomena  which  a  single  force  leaves  in  the  dark. 

§  123.  Native  metals,  in  the  form  of  deposits  in  the  con- 
solidated sediment,  similar  to  the  oxide  of  iron,  are  some- 
what rare.  In  JSTorth-Carohna,  however,  native  gold  must  be 
regarded  as  a  sediment.  The  deposits  in  which  it  occurs 
want  the  essential  characteristics  of  veins;  that  of  walls 
showing  that  receptacles  of  the  metal  were  never  fissures. 
The  width  of  these   depositories  vary  from  a  few  inches  to 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  107 

sixty  or  seventy  feet.  The  line  of  demarkation  between  tlie 
gold  bearing  stratum  and  the  unproductive  rock  is  rarely  dis- 
tinct, and  is  usually  determined  by  trial ;  but  to  the  eye  it  is 
extremely  difficult  to  determine  this  line. 

§  124.  The  depositories  which  belong  to  this  class,  are  the 
Jones  j&  Lauflin  mines  in  Davidson,  the  Howie  mine  in 
Union,  and  the  mine  near  Zion,  in  Montgomery  county. 
These  deposits  I  had  suspected  for  a  long  time  to  have  been 
cotemporaneous  with  the  rock ;  but  the  evidence  that  gold 
was  truly  a  sediment,  might  not  be  fully  sustained  by  the 
facts  I  had  to  present.  But  the  occurrence  of  fossils  at  the 
last  locality  in  the  midst  of  the  gold,  and  with  the  debris  of 
the  rock  containing  gold,  and  often  visible  in  it,  showing  that 
it  is  not  derived  from  an  intruded  decomposed  dyke  or  por- 
phyry, sets  the  matter  at  rest.  More  than  $100,000  have 
been  taken  from  this  deposit.  These  beds  containing  gold  are 
quite  numerous  and  important  in  North  Carolina.  These  de- 
posits are  usually  in  the  talcose  slates,  whieh  are  impregnated 
with  the  oxide  of  iron,  derived  from  the  decomposed  sul- 
phuret  of  iron.  The  deposit  at  Zion  is  in  quartz,  which  over- 
lies a  brecciated  conglomerate. 

I  am  unable  to  learn  that  this  fact  respecting  gold,  under 
the  circumstances  I  have  now  communicated,  had  been  sus- 
pected. A  moments  reflection,  however,  will  satisfy  any  one 
that  this  mode  of  occurrence  presents  nothing  very  remarka- 
ble. Other  metals  occur  in  this  mode  in  the  form  of  oxides, 
while  gold  being  unoxidable,  occurs  in  its  metalic  state. 


108  NOETH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    StlBVTBY, 


CHAPTER  XVni. 

Direction  of  the  axis  of  disturbance  or  the  lines  of  faults  amd 
of  Dyhe  Fissures — Direction  of  Vein  Fissures — General 
conclusions,  etc. 

§  125.  Tlie  geological  map  of  North-Carolina,  now  in  pro- 
gress, will  show  that  there  are  certain  lines  or  axis  which  are 
constantly  directed  to  certain  points  of  the  compass,  or  which 
do  not  deviate  materially  from  those  points.  These  indicate 
the  axis  of  disturbance  which  may  have  occurred  in  any  giv- 
en mineral  district. 

Taking  the  direction  of  the  trap  dj^kes,  we  shall  find  that 
their  line  of  bearing  approaches  nearly  north  east  and  south 
west.  There  is,  however,  a  variation  amounting  to  many  de- 
grees, so  that  the  limits  being  given,  the  result  would  show 
that  they  run  from  N.  10°  E.  to  N.  35°  E.  Of  twenty  dykes 
which  occur  in  the  width  of  twenty  rods,  the  direction  is 
about  20°  E.  A  group  of  dykes  occurs  between  Greensbo- 
rough  and  Lexington,  about  fourteen  miles  east  of  the  latter 
place,  upon  a  remarkable  trappean  belt  between  the  slates  of 
the  Taconic  system  and  the  Greensborough  and  Salisbury 
granite,  a  sienitic  granite,  which  is  remarkably  metaliferous. 
This  belt,  wherever  exposed,  exhibits  a  cluster  of  dykes  and 
veins,  which  are  frequently  interlaced  with  each.  The  veins 
of  felspar  are  intersected  by  the  trap  in  a  few  instances, 
showing  that  the  former  are  the  oldest. 

The  vein  fissures,  though  the}'"  too  are  intersected  by  dykes, 
pursue  a  course  approaching  to  paralleHsm  with  each  other, 
and  their  range  of  direction  N.  10°  W.  and  N.  70°  E.,  by  far 
the  greater  number  are  about  N.  30°  E. 

The  ranges  of  hills  are  usually  parallel  with  the  Blue 
Ridge.  In  no  instance  is  the  direction  of  the  out  crop  of  a 
rock  or  its  strike  coincident  with  the  ridges,  they  always  cross 
them  obliquely,  while,  however,  if  the  strike  of  the  series  of 
knobs  and  ridges  are  taken  together,  there  is  a  close  corres- 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOIOGICAJ.    SURVEY.  lOfi" 

pondence  between  the  strike  of  the  rock  and  that  of  the 
ridges ;  but  when  each  is  taken  b j  itself,  they  never  coin- 
cide. 

The  axis  of  disturbance,  therefore,  and  the  bearing  of  veins 
and  dykes  which  show  the  direction  of  fissures,  are  parallel, 
or  nearly  so ;  though  if  the  subordinate  segments  only  are 
taken  into  the  reckoning,  as  a  separate  and  distinct  ridge, 
there  would  be  a  decided  deviation  from  parallelism. 

§  126,  The  relation  of  dyJces  and  veins  to  ridges,  or  the 
the  more  elevated  parts  of  the  country. — The  mining  district 
of  North-Carolina,  and  indeed  of  the  southern  States,  occu- 
pies the  second  belt  of  table  land.  Throughout  this  belt,  the 
vein  fissures  more  frequently  occupy  those  positions  which 
are  only  moderately  elevated.  The  highest  hills  of  Davidson, 
Randolph,  Cabarrus,  Mecklenburg,  Rowan,  etc.,  are  rarely  if 
ever  traversed  by  vein  fissures.  The  Gold  Hill  vein  runs 
nearly  parallel  to  a  ridge  along  its  crest.  Other  examples  of 
productive  veins  are  as  common  in  valleys  as  upon  ridges. 
The  highest  ridges  of  Randolph  and  Davidson  are  formed  of 
exceedingly  hard  quartzite,  and  though  veins  sometimes  occu- 
py some  of  the  highest  points,  yet,  I  do  not  know  of  a  pro- 
ductive vein  upon  those  points  or  ridges.  The  country  may 
be  regarded  as  low  where  the  vein  fissures  are  the  most  nu- 
merous, as  near  the  Pioneer  mine  in  Cabarrus  county.  There 
is,  however,  no  necessary  relation  between  the  height  of  the 
country  and  the  frequency  or  infrequency  of  veins  or  elvans. 

§  127.  The  prevailing  dip  of  the  rock  is  to  the  north  west, 
which  continues  to  the  line  of  junction  with  the  gneiss  and 
mica  slate  of  the  fianks  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  The  north  west 
dips  are  an  exception  to  the  prevalent  dips  of  the  Blue  Ridge. 
I  am  unable  to  determine  the  age  of  the  fissures  and  elvan 
courses  by  their  direction.  There  is  no  doubt  respecting 
the  fact,  however,  that  the  vein  fissures  belong  at  least  to 
two  epochs,  as  I  have  elsewhere  remarked  ;  but  the  lodes  or 
veins  are  so  nearly  coincident,  that  it  is  impossible  to  deter- 
mine the  fact  from  the  direction  of  the  fissure,  seeing  they 
belong  to  adjacent  districts. 


110  NOETH-CABOLINA*  GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

1.  General  conclusions  respecting  the  distribution  of  veins, 
etc. — Although  the  dynamics,  of  vein  fissures  are  not  as  yet 
sufficiently  elucidated  to  enable  geologists  to  explain  all  the 
phenomena  attending  them,  still  there  are  certain  facts  which 
throw  much  light  upon  the  forces  which  have  been  active  in 
their  production.  Thus  it  is  true  in  the  general,  that  vein 
fissures  are  near  the  centres  of  disturbance,  and  in  the  vicini- 
ty of  eruptive  rocks ;  when  they  traverse  the  newer  forma- 
tions, it  is  proof  conclusive  that  these  eruptive  rocks  are  con- 
nected, in  some  way,  with  their  production.  This  view  is 
sustained,  by  facts  of  a  negative  kind,  that  where  eruptive 
centres  are  unknown,  vein  fissures  are  extremely  rare. 

The  foregoing  conclusion  is  consented  to  by  the  most  dis- 
tinguished writers  and  observers,  and  observations  in  IsTorth- 
Carolina  sustain  the  position.  In  the  region  where  eruptive 
rocks  occur,  there  the  most  productive  mines  have  been 
found ;  yet  there  are  tracts  or  districts  where  the  country  is 
riddled  with  trap  dykes,  which  are  not  known  to  be  rich  in 
veins  of  metal.  In  parts  of  New  England  granite  veins  are 
very  numerous,  yet  veins  of  the  metals  are  scarcely  known. 
Still  the  rich  districts  abound  in  trap  dykes  and  elvans. 

2.  Minerals  are  distributed  in  districts. — It  is  extremely 
rare  that  a  single  vein  is  alone,  and  has  no  companions.  In 
North-Carolina  the  districts  are  elongated,  or  lie  in  belts. 
The  slate  formation  to  which  Gold  Hill  belongs  stretches 
nearly  across  the  State.  Parallel  with  the  slate,  and  close  to 
its  borders  on  the  west,  lies  the  granite  belt,  which  is  rich  in 
metals,  and  is  equally  extensive. 

Another  mineral  belt  or  district  extends  from  King's  moun- 
tain through  Lincoln  county  to  the  Catawba,  in  the  direction 
of  Sherril's  ford. 

These  examples  of  mineral  districts  are  so  distinct,  that  the 
facts  have  been  recognized  by  many  competent  observers. 

3.  As  productive  veins  are  related  geographically  as  well 
as  geologically  to  eruptive  rocks,  they  must  be  regarded  as 
proximately  connected  with  their  filling  by  the  metals.  That 
they  may  be  instrumental  in  the  dry  way  of  producing  this 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVJJr.  Ill 

effect  by  opening  passages  to  the  Zones  of  incandescent  mat- 
ter, or  of  converting  fissures  into  galleries  of  sublimation, 
seems  highly  jDrobable.  M.  Keekar,  I  believe,  was  the  first 
who  proposed  this  theory. 

4.  I  have  made  no  allusion  to  the  electrical  theory  of  Mr. 
Fox,  a  theory  which  many  seem  to  favor  and  even  adopt. 
But  it  has  always  been  objectionable,  on  the  ground  that  the 
consequent  is  put  for  the  antecedent.  The  fact  that  electri- 
cal currents  circulate  in  fissures,  is  no  proof  that  they  were 
the  efficient  cause  which  was  instrumental  in  filling  them. 
Tlie  parts  of  a  fissure,  considered  as  a  whole,  may  be  regard- 
ed as  an  apparatus  sufficiently  complete  to  develop  currents, 
or  to  disturb  the  electric  equihbrium.  In  this  view,  it  may 
arrange  the  materials  already  in  the  vein,  but  not  collect 
them  from  a  distance.  The  currents  are  created,  or  set  in 
motion,  after  the  apparatus  is  put  together,  but  they  had  no 
part  in  its  creation.  It  is  by  no  means  strange  that  electrical 
currents  are  developed  under  the  circumstances,  when,  in 
fact,  every  chemical  change  is  attended  with  the  excitation 
of  electricity.  ,  The  water  of  the  mine  is  often  charged  with 
the  sulphates  and  other  salts,  a  condition  favorable  for  elec- 
trical disturbance,  as  well  as  farther  chemical  decompositions. 


112  NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 


CHAPTEE  XIX. 

depositories  of  the  metals  in  the  midland  counties  of  North- 
Carolina — They  helong  to  hoth  divisions  of  the  rocTcs,  the 
•primary  or  pyrocrystalline,  and  the  sediments. — In  thefor^ 
mer,  they  are  always  in  veins,  or  else  in  heds  of  the  same 
epoch  with  the  roch  y  in  the  latter,  in  veins,  and  in  the  con- 
dition of  sediments. — Of  the  ores  of  iron. 

%  128.  Our  knowledge  of  the  repositories  of  the  ores  and 
metals  has  been  progressive.  The  establishment  of  the  fact 
that  gold  occurs  as  a  sediment,  was  not  known  prior  to  the 
commencement  of  the  geological  survey  of  this  State.  The 
occurrence  of  the  magnetic  and  specular  oxides  of  iron  in 
veins  in  the  oldest  sediment  of  Korth-Carolina,  has  also  been 
established  during  its  progress. 

The  pyrocrystalline  rocks  are  traversed  by  veins  carrying 
iroUj  copper  and  gold.  The  sediments  of  the  Taconic  system 
are  not  only  traversed  by  similar  veins  of  a  later  epoch  than 
the  former,  but  contain  strata  also  richly  charged  with  metal. 
In  North-Carolina  there  are  no  masses  of  iron  ore  contempo- 
raneous with  the  rock  inclosing  it,  as  in  the  northern  part  of 
Kew  York,  where  the  hypersthene  contains  masses  live  or 
six  hundred  feet  across,  and  which  are  evidently  of  the  same 
age  as  the  rock.  The  iron  here  is  mostly  in  veins,  whether 
in  the  primary  rocks  or  in  the  Taconic  system.  Where  the 
iron  occurs  as  in  New  York,  the  rock  is  an  eruptive  one,  in 
the  molten  mass  of  which,  the  iron  it  contains,  becomes  in- 
termingled while  in  a  state  of  fusion. 

§  129.  Of  the  iron  ores  of  the  midland  counties. — ^As  I 
have  already  remarked,  the  iron  ores  occur  mostly  in  veins. 
It  is  true  that  the  haematites  or  brown  ores  and  bog  ores  form 
beds  in  the  soil ;  and  near  the  surface,  and  to  a  very  limited 
extent  also,  particles  of  magnetic  iron  are  disseminated  in  the 
consolidated  sediment.  The  black  sand,  so  common  by  the 
road  side,  has  been  detached  very  frequently  from  the  strati- 


NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  STJEVET.  113 

fied  rocks  or  the  sediment.  But  I  know  of  no  strata  in  any  * 
of  the  sediments,  ricli  enough  in  black  sand  or  magnetic  iron 
to  be  of  any  value.  But  its  occurrence  very  frequently  gives 
us  some  information  respecting  the  origin  of  the  rocks  in 
which  it  is  found,  or  from  which  it  has  been  detached.  It  is 
an  interesting  fact,  that  where  a  vein  of  the  oxide  of  iron  is 
found,  it  is  always  in  proximity  to  one  or  more  trap  dykes. 

As  an  illustration  of  this  statement,  I  have  inserted  fig.  15, 
It  is  merely  intended  as  a  general  illustration  of  the  fact ; 
and  is  taken  from  one  of  actual  occurrence. 

Fia.  15.  a  A  vein  of  magnetic  iron  \d  d  d  d 

four  parallel  trap  dykes;  5,  coarse 
pyrocrystalline  limestone ;  c,  quartz 
vein. 

In  this  diagram  the  masses  all  be- 
long' to  the  eruptive  rocks ;  but  it 
will  be  observed,  that  the  trap  dykes 
were  formed  subsequently  to  the  vein 
of  iron,  because  one  of  them  inter- 
sects it.  The  quartz  vein  is  also  cut 
by  the  dyke.  But  I  have  exhibited  this  diagram  for  the  pur- 
pose of  illustrating  the  general  fact  referred  to;  that  the 
veins  of  the  metals  are  accompanied  with  trap,  which  is  emi- 
nently an  eruptive  rock ;  but  they  are  never  contemporane- 
ous, and  the  trap  is  the  intersecting  rock,  and  of  course  runs 
in  a  different  direction  from  the  metallic  veins. 

Trap  dykes,  although  troublesome  neighbors  to  the  miner, 
yet  their  indications  are  favorable ;  they  are  indicative  of  a 
mining  district — especially  when  numerous. 

The  midland  counties  are  traversed  by  three  parallel  belts 
of  magnetic  ore,  or,  in  some  places,  the  ore  is  changed  to  a 
variety  called  specular  ore. 

Beginning  at  the  western  part  of  the  midland  counties, 
the  first  belt  to  be  described,  passes  from  six  to  seven  miles 
east  of  Lincolnton.  It  is  the  prolongation  of  the  King's 
mountain  ore,  in  Gaston  county.  The  geological  position  of 
this  belt  is  given  on  plate  14,  section  1,  It  immediately  ad- 
joins or  belongs  to  the  belt  of  sediments  which  has  been  de- 
8 


114:  NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL    SUEYET. 

scribed  as  passing  near  Lincolnton.  At  Lincolnton,  the  rock 
is  mostly  a  coarse  light  gray  micaceous  granite.  Beds  of 
slate,  limestone  and  qnartzite,  succeed  it  on  the  east ;  but  be- 
tween this  and  the  gneiss,  a  little  farther  east,  are  the  veins 
of  magnetic  ore.  The  position  of  the  narrow  belt  of  talcose 
slate  in  which  the  ore  occurs,  is  below  or  behind  the  heavy 
masses  of  granular  quartz.  These  masses  of  quartz,  as  they 
are  continuous  from  the  South-Carolina  line  to  the  Catawba, 
are  land  marks  for  the  position  of  the  ore.  There  is  no  ore 
above  the  quartz,  and  I  do  not  know  that  there  is  any  in  the 
gneiss  represented  as  below  the  veins  of  iron  in  the  section 
referred  to.  The  careful  consideration  therefore  of  such  re- 
lations, are  of  great  importance ;  they  furnish  the  clue  to  the 
actual  position  of  the  veins. 

The  rocks  and  ore  taken  in  masses  stand  in  this  order,  be- 
ginning our  reckoning  on  the  west : 


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The  quartz  being  a  rock  easUy  distinguished,  becomes  a 
guide  to  the  position  of  the  ore. 

These  ore  beds  or  veins  of  which  I  am  speaking,  are  situ- 
ated six  or  seven  miles  eastward  of  Lincolnton,  and  upon  the 
north  side  of  the  plank  road.  The  limestone  is  a  mile  west  of 
the  belt  of  ore. 

The  ore  is  usually  near  the  crest  of  a  ridge,  and  here  it 
traverses  the  parallel  ridges,  which,  however,  it  crosses  very 
obliquely.  There  is  no  instance  in  which  the  vein  runs  pre- 
cisely parallel  with  a  ridge,  or  follows  it ;  it  makes,  in  this  in- 
stance, to  the  east.  This  fact  should  not  be  lost  sight  of-  in 
tracing  the  veins ;  they  may  be  exactly  upon  the  crest;_,in  one 
instance,  but  in  the  prolongation  northward  they  will  be 
found  to  have  made  to  the  eastward  of  the  same  prolonged 
ridge. 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    STIRVEY. 


115 


The  direction  of  bearing,  as  determined  by  the  harder 
masses  of  rock,  is  1^.  20°  E. — and  what  is  said  respecting  the 
bearing  of  the  ore  beds  to  the  east,  is  true  also  of  the  rock 
and  strata  in  which  they  occur. 

§  130.  Certain  peculiarities  respecting  the  veins  of  m,ag- 
netic  ore  of  Lincoln  county  require  a  notice  in  this  place  : 

1.  They  are  of  a  flattened  oval  form,  that  is,  a  vein  is  di- 
vided into  sections,  each  of  which  partake  of  this  form ;  the 
thin  edge,  perhaps,  not  making  an  outcrop  at  all,  but  is  in- 
closed between  strata  and  slate,  which  come  together  at  the 
surface.  This  thin  edge  of  ore,  with  its  oval  mass,  hes  ob- 
liquely in  the  slate,  widening  as  it  descends,  until  it  reaches 
its  maximum  width,  where  it  narrows  below  to  its  inferior 
edge.  The  thickness  of  the  upper  mass  may  be  less  than 
twelve  inches.  This  laps  on  to  the  west  side  of  another  flat- 
tened oval  mass,  which  lies  behind  the  first ;  but  in  its  descent 
widens  to  a  greater  width  than  the  first. 

Some  of  the  veins  increase  in  width  in  this  way,  where,  at 
the  depth  of  sixty  feet,  they  are  six  to  eight  feet  wide.  In 
working  these  veins,  it  is  important  to  notice  this  arrange- 
ment, and  especially  the  setting  back  of  each  oval  mass ;  it 
invariably  begins  behind  the  upper,  and  against  the  foot  wall. 
An  arrangement  of  this  kind  is  represented  in  Plate  10,  in  a 
transverae  section  of  the  auriferous  vein  at  Gold  Hill.  It  is 
not,  therefore,  peculiar  or  confined  to  the  magnetic  ore  veins, 
but  seems  to  be  common  to  many  kinds  of  veins  of  ores. 

§  131.  The  ore  of  the  veins  under  consideration  is  usually 
tine  grained,  or  very  rarely  coarse ;  it  belongs  to  the  variety 
which  is  termed  soft ;  that  is,  it  breaks  readily,  and  may  be 
crushed  in  the  hand.  This  softness  arises  partly  from  the 
mixture  of  talcose  slate,  by  which  the  grains  are  separated 
from  each  other,  and  their  coherence  diminished.  This  fact 
exerts  a  favorable  influence  in  smelting,  as  by  it  the  ore 
is  readily  reduced  to  a  size  for  the  fire,  and  the  fluxes  to  act 
readily  upon  it.  It  is  also  very  strongly  magnetic.  The 
upp^  part  of  the  veins  have  generally  undergone  disintegra- 
tion, and  the  mass  of  ore  is  frequently  in  the  condition  of  a 
slightly  coherent  red  mass,  which  readily  passes  into  the  con- 


116  JrOETH-CAEOLlNA  GEOLOGICAL    STJElT-ET. 

dition  of  a  powder.  On  the  outside  especially  this  change 
has  taken  place,  while  the  interior  of  a  mass  may  be  still  oc- 
cupied by  a  black  unchanged  ore,  in  the  condition  of  grains^ 
These  changes  are  confined  to  the  upper  part  of  the  vein,  and 
only  extend  to  that  point  where  it  is  constantly  wet. 

These  veins  of  ore  in  Lincoln  county  have  been  worked 
for  a  long  period,  and  they  have  been  and  still  are  celebrated 
for  the  good  quality  of  the  iron  which  they  furnish,  especial- 
ly when  reduced  with  proper  care.  The  iron  has  been  fa- 
mous for  its  toughness  and  great  strength,  and  the  facility 
with  which  it  is  made  into  blooms. 

Messrs.  Brevard  and  Johnson,  are  the  principal  owners  of 
the  depositories  of  ore  in  this  belt.  Being  in  the  interior  of 
,  the  State,  the  only  market  which  this  iron  finds  is  a  home 
market ;  smiths  generally  obtaining  the  necessary  supply 
from  them.  A  much  wider  range  of  sale  may  be  antici-. 
pated,  provided  Lincoln  county  becomes  connected  with  "Wil- 
mington and  the  Seaboard,  by  means  of  a  railway.  The  ore 
being  inexhaustible,  water  power  to  move  machinery  being 
abundant,  and  more  than  all,  a  sufiiciency  of  fuel  for  char- 
coal, makes  the  production  of  iron  cheap.  By  aid  of  rail- 
ways to  take  it  to  market,  there  is  no  question  the  iron  may 
compete  successfully  with  northern  iron  in  a  northern  mar- 
ket. Charcoal  iron  must  always  have  a  preference  over  all 
others  ;  and,  for  special  purposes,  no  other  can  be  used.  For 
all  uses  where  machinery  is  exposed  to  great  strains,  no  other 
will  do ;  especially,  in  those  parts  of  a  vehicle  which  are  lia- 
ble to  break,  as  the  axles  of  locomotives,  etc. 

§  132.  The  prolongation  of  the  Lincoln  county  ore  appears 
in  the  next  place  not  far  from  the  High  Shoals  of  the  Little 
Catawba. 

It  preserves  the  same  relations  to  the  slate,  quartz  and 
limestone,  as  those  veins  which  have  been  alreadv  described. 
The  character  of  the  ore,  however,  in  certain  places,  has 
changed.  l*^ear  the  High  Shoals,  or  upon  the  property  known 
by  this  name,  there  are  three  locations  called  banks,||'rom 
which  the  ore  has  been  obtained.  The  first  is  known  as  the 
Ferguson  banb    At  this  place  the  ore  is  brown;  it  has 


NOETH-CAROLmA  GEOLOGICAL  STJEVEY.   .  117 

become  peroxidated,  and  has  the  color  of  snuff.  The  un- 
changed ore  is  largely  intermixed  with  sulphuret  of  iron. 
It  is  unfit  for  bar  iron,  but  may  be  employed  for  casting  along 
with  better  ores;  in  small  quantities  it  makes  a  smoother 
casting  than  the  purer  ores.  When  the  Ferguson  ore  is  en- 
tirely decomposed,  it  makes  a  very  good  iron  in  the  forge. 

>The  Ellis  ore  bank,  is  about  three  miles  from  the  site  of 
Fullenwider's  old  furnace.  It  lies  in  the  direction  of  King's 
mountain.  It  is  a  black  ore,  and  the  vein  is  eighteen  feet 
wide.  Its  direction  is  IST.  20°  E.  It  makes  good  iron,  and  is 
inexhaustible. 

The  Carson  ore  bank  is  the  most  easterly  of  the  three.  It 
is  the  common  black  magnetic  ore,  but  is  remarkably  jointed, 
and  hence  breaks  into  distinct  angular  pieces.  This  property, 
or  the  High  Shoal  property,  is  well  provided  with  the  means 
for  manufacturing  iron ;  the  water  power,  the  ore  and  fuel 
for  coal  is  abundant  on  the  premises.  It  contains  14,000 
acres  of  land,  and  the  south  east  part  of  which  is  valuable  for 
tillage. 

The  belt  of  ore  with  the  same  series  of  rocks  continues  to 
King's  mountain,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  iron  has  been  made 
for  more  than  half  a  century.  One  of  the  principal  veins  is 
forty  feet  thick.  The  business  is  carried  on  by  Mr.  Briggs, 
who  supplies  the  country  with  iron  of  an  excellent  quality. 
The  general  character  of  the  belt  is  preserved  still  farther 
south.  It  passes  into  South-Carolina,  extending  to  the  Lime- 
stone Springs,  in  the  Spartanburg  district ;  or  to  the  Broad 
river,  where  iron  works  have  been  erected. 

In  addition  to  the  seams  of  magnetic  ore  which  belong  to 
this  very  extensive  belt,  there  are  beds  of  haematite  near  the 
top  of  King's  mountain. 

Crowder's  mountain  also  furnishes  the  peroxide  or  specular 
ore  near  the  top,  and  is  said  to  constitute  a  vein  six  or  seven 
feet  wide.  This  I  have  not  visited.  It  is  evident,  from  the 
foregoing  statements,  that  this  important  ore  is  widely  dis- 
tributed in  Catawba,  Lincoln  and  Gaston  counties.  There  is 
no  probability,  however,  that  the  ore  has  been  discovered  at 
all  the  accessible  points.    There  is  but  little  doubt,  that  upon 


118  NOSTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUENET. 

this  long  belt,  extending  from  the  Catawba  at  Sherrill's  ford 
to  the  Broad  river  in  South- Carolina,  at  the  Limestone 
Springs,  other  points  not  yet  found  -will  come  to  light,  which 
will  gi'eatly  add  ,to  the  amount  already  known  to  exist. 
There  seems,  however,  to  be  so  much  which  is  now  accessi- 
ble, that  the  inducements  for  finding  more  are  not  very  im- 
perative, even  with  those  who  are  engaged  in  its  manufac- 
ture ;  besides,  the  impossibihty  of  taking  it  to  a  distant  mar- 
ket, or  one  much  beyond  what  may  be  called  the  home  circle 
of  trade,  must  remain  for  the  present  a  drawback  upon  this 
branch  of  industry. 

S  133.  I  have  stated  in  what  relation  the  foreffoino-  belt  of 
iron  ore  is  found ;  that  it  is  in  close  proximity  to  a  narrow 
belt  of  sediments.  I  am  not  satisfied,  however,  respecting  a 
question  which  might  be  raised,  viz.,  whether  it  belongs 
strictly  to  this  belt,  and  to  the  same  epoch.  I  am  inclined 
to  regard  it  as  an  inferior  series ;  but  geologically  belong- 
ing to  the  system  of  sediments  which  overlie  those  slates. 
But  it  is  a  question  which  is  open  for  discussion  ;  one  which 
may  be  debated,  or  which  is  by  no  means  satisfactorily  settled. 

§  134.  The  second  helt  of  iron  ore  in  the  midland  counties. 
It  may  be  regarded  as  beginning  in  Montgomery  county.  It 
passes  through  Eandolph  county  near  Franklinville,  thence 
into  Guilford  county,  and  appears  again  ten  miles  west  of 
Greensborough,  beyond  which  I  have  not  traced  it ;  and  in- 
deed do  not  know  that  on  this  immediate  hne  of  direction 
iron  ore  veins  are  known. 

The  ore  is  upon  the  land  of  Mr.'  DeBerri,  and  I  believe  is 
■  six  or  seven  miles  in  a  south  west  direction  from  Troy.     The 
country  about  it  is  uncultivated,  and  covered  in  the  imme- 
diate vicinity  with  the  long  leafed  pine. 

The  relations  of  the  ore  to  the  surrounding  rocks,  is  as  follows : 


o 

o 

O 

(a 

'3 

■*i 

&H     , 

i^ 

<i 

-2 

o 

1 

5q 

O    03 

^ 

o 

2^ 

ci 

S 

o 
2 

be 

o 
o 

O 

c 

< 

Eh 

NOKTH-CAEOLESrA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET.  119 

The  beds  are  trayersed  hj  a  narrow  bed  of  hornblende, 
which,  however,  is  not  in  a  parallel  position. 

The  mass  of  ore  is  about  fifty  feet  wide.  It  occupies  a 
heavy  knoll  or  hill  of  a  moderate  height.  How  far  the  ore 
extends  in  the  direction  of  its  strike,  I  did  not  determine. 
It  may  be  traced  a  qnarter-of-a-mile,  but  being  concealed  by 
debris,  its  extent  could  not  be  determined  without  excava- 
tions. 

At  the  surface  it  is  silicious ;  but  subordinate  seams  of  pure 
heavy  ore  attest  to  the  purity  of  the  mass,  as  it  will  be  found 
below. 

This  ore  is  a  peroxide  at  the  surface.  Its  strike  is  N.  30° 
E.,  and  dip  'N.  W.  at  a  steep  angle.  It  is  jointed,  and  breaks 
into  angular  pieces.  The  ore  has  never  been  noticed,  and  of 
course  no  trials  have  been  made  respecting  the  mode  in 
which  it  will  work,  or  the  S:ind  of  iron  it  will  make;  but 
being  free  from  sulphuret  of  iron,  it  is  probable  that  the 
quality  of  iron  will  be  such  as  to  recommend  it  to  the  favor 
of  iron  masters. 

About  four  miles  in  a  northerly  direction  from  Troy,  and 
in  a  range  with  the  ore  just  described,  another  series  of  veins 
are  known,  and  which  lie  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Cai'ter 
gold  mine. 

This  ore  is  the  magnetic  variety,  and  much  of  it  is  in  mi- 
nute octahedral  crystals.  It  is  very  friable,  but  is  intermixed 
with  talcose  slate  and  grains  of  quartz,  which  contributes 
very  much  to  its  softness.  The  beds  of  ore  differ  in  compo- 
sition, but  still  it  is  no  objection  to  the  view  which  I  have 
taken  of  them,  viz.,  that  they  belong  to  the  same  epoch.  It 
sometimes  happens  that  a  vein  of  specular  ore  lies  by  the 
side  of  a  magnetic  vein,  being  separated  only  a  few  feet. 

In  this  belt  or  range  the  iron  ore  of  Davie  and  Stokes  coun- 
ties should  probably  be  placed.  At  rather  distant  points  the 
ore  of  this  belt  appears  in  a  range  so  direct,  that  there  is  no 
doubt  of  its  passing  entirely  across  the  State.  It  lies  paral- 
lel with  the  limestones  and  slates ;  but  I  am  unable  to  trace 
these  rocks  across  Catawba  and  Davie  counties.  We  lose, 
after  crossing  the  Catawba,  the  guides  which  1  have  spoken 


120  NOETH-CAEOLIlSrA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 

of.  There  is  some  doubt  too,  respecting  the  age  of  the  lime- 
stone at  Germanton ;  that  is,  it  seems  to  be  different  from 
the  King's  mountain  limestone,  and  still,  if  the  iron  ore  is 
regarded  as  an  eruptive  rock,  there  will  be  no  objection  to 
combining  the  Davie  and  Stokes  belts  with  the  King's  moun- 
tain belt,  which  passes  through  Lincoln  county.  The  conti- 
nuity of  the  belt  is  preserved  better  in  the  south  than  in  Da- 
vie and  Stokes,  The  ore  of  Davie  presents  great  advantages 
for  working,  in  consequence  of  the  water  power  of  the  South 
Yadkin ;  and  as  most  of  the  iron  used  in  this  and  the  neigh- 
boring counties  is  brought  from  Tennessee,  it  seems  that  even 
a  home  market  is  an  inducement  sufficiently  great  for  the 
establishment  of  iron  works  upon  the  South  Yadkin. 
'  §  135.  About  three  or  four  miles  south  west  from  Frank- 
linville,  in  an  uncultivated  part  of  the  country,  I  found  heavy 
black  massive  magnetic  ore  in  abundance,  lying  in  loose 
blocks  upon  the  surface.  These  masses  I  found  in  immediate 
proximity  to  a  vein  of  magnetic  iron,  which  appears  to  be  of 
a  superior  quahty.  This  vein,  though  not  in  an  exact  geo- 
logical relation  with  those  of  Montgomery  county,  is  still  re- 
moved only  a  short  distance  from  the  quartzite.  Its  extent 
has  not  been  determined,  and  cannot  be,  without  the  sinking  of 
pits  or  uncovering  the  ore.  I  feel  satisfied  that  it  is  exten- 
sive ;  and  as  it  is  near  Deep  river,  its  importance  is  enhanced 
by  this  circumstance. 

Specular  ore  was  discovered  near  Trogden  mountain  many 
years  ago.  The  seam,  however,  is  too  inconsiderable  to  com- 
mand attention.  A  shaft  was  sunk  upon  it  before  the  pre- 
sent inhabitants  settled  this  part  of  the  country.  The  bright- 
ness of  the  ore  probably  deceived  some  discoverer,  who  mis- 
took the  ore  for  silver.  Old  crucibles  and  furnaces  still  at- 
test to  the  unprofitable  industry  of  some  expectant  of  a  for- 
tune in  the  splendid  lustre  of  this  specular  oxide  of  iron. 

§  136.  Ten  miles  west  of  Greensborough,  in  Guilford 
county,  on  a  tract  of  land  formerly  owned  by  Mr.  Coffin, 
two  or  more  veins  of  magnetic  iron  of  great  purity  were  dis- 
covered several  years  ago  It  is  black  and  middhng  coarse, 
and  has  aU  the  external  characteristics  of  a  most  valuable 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  121 

ore.  It  is  unmixed  with  any  substance  which  injures  the 
quahty  of  iron,  and  at  the  same  time  sufficiently  soft  to  work 
easily,  and  make  a  tough  iron.  In  Kew  York,  in  the  mineral 
districts  where  the  magnetic  ores  prevail,  it  is  regarded  as  an 
evidence,  and  in  fact  a  proof,  that  an  ore  which  crumbles  in 
the  hand,  or  is  easily  broken,  will  make  a  soft  iron ;  while  the 
hard  tough  ores,  with  a  bright  and  shining  lustre,  will  invari- 
ably make  a  hard  iron  with  less  toughness  or  tenacity,  besides 
it  is  not  reduced  so  kindly.  The  dull  loolring  ores  are  always 
regarded  as  the  best ;  those  especially  which  become  red  up- 
on the  surface. 

The  ore  which  I  am  describing  is  a  dull  looking  ore,  but 
very  heavy  and  free  from  rock. 

The  veins  to  which  the  surface  ore  belongs  have  never 
been  uncovered  or  exposed.  The  distribution  upon  the  sur- 
face indicates  at  least  two  distinct  parallel  veins.  The  sur- 
face masses  become  what  is  known  as  loadstone.  They  are 
not  only  thoroughly  magnetic,  but  have  two  or  more  poles, 
and  of  course  repel  or  attract  the  poles  of  a  common  survey- 
or's needle,  according  as  the  poles  are  north  or  south ;  north 
and  south  poles  attracting,  and  north  poles  repelling.  I  may 
state  in  this  connection,  that  a  successful  method  of  discov- 
ering veins  of  magnetic  iron,  is  by  means  of  a  needle  mount- 
ed like  a  dipping  needle,  but  with  one  pole  only.  It  is  there- 
fore made  one-half  of  a  thin  bar  of  steel,  and  the  other  half 
of  brass.  On  passing  over  a  concealed  vein  of  ore  the  nee- 
dle is  attracted ;  and  when  immediately  over  the  ore,  it 
points  downwards.  Its  course  of  direction  may  be  traced  by 
the  same  instrument. 

The  ore  upon  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Coffin  is  between  Brush 
creek  and  Keedy  Fork,  It  extends  north,  and  appears  on 
the  plantation  of  Mr.  Joseph  Harris,  and  onward  to  Rock- 
ingham county  to  the  Troublesome,  upon  the  plantations  of 
John  S.  Morehead,  Esq.,  where  it  is  in  great  force;  and 
south,  it  crops  out  on  the  plantations  of  Mr.  Joel  Chipman 
and  John  Unthanks.  Thus  it  appears  to  form  either  another 
belt  distinct  from  those  I  have  mentioned,  or  a  subordinate 
one.    I  mention  it  here  as  a  subordinate  one.    The  ore  of  Mr. 


122  NOKTH'CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEYET. 

Coffin's  mine,  even  taken  from  the  surface,  worked  easily,  and 
made  an  excellent  iron,  wliicli  is  remarkable,  for  surface  ore. 

§  13T.  The  eastern  or  Chatham  belt  of  iron  ore  is  the  least 
regular,  as  it  now  appears  from  my  present  information. 
Four  or  five  miles  from  the  Gulf,  on  the  plankroad  leading 
north,  or  towards  Graham,  the  specular  iron  ore  crops  out  on 
a  ridge,  on  land  owned  in  part  by  Mr.  Evans.  It  is  widely 
and  profusely  scattered  over  the  surface,  but  it  also  appears 
in  a  heavy  vein  of  rich  ore  some  six  or  eight  feet  wide.  This 
.vein  is  in  a  talcose  slate,  and  in  connection  also  with  a  rock 
which  is  regarded  as  soapstone,  but  which  is  by  no  means 
magnesian ;  it  is  properly  the  figure  stone  or  agalmatolite, 
and  is  known  at  many  other  places,  in  connexion  with  the 
iron  ores.  This  veiii  I  have  traced  three-fourths  of  a  mile. 
It  has  a  compact  structure  and  a  fine  lively  grain  when  fresh- 
ly broken,  and  is  entirely  free  from  sulphuret  of  iron. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  foregoing  brief  statement,  that  this 
vein  is  an  important  and  valuable  one,  being  within  a  short 
distance  of  the  Gulf,  upon  Deep  river.  The  ground  is  de- 
scending to  the  river,  a  short  distance  only  over  the  sandstone 
can  be  regarded  as  hilly.  The  raising  of  the  ore  too,  will  be 
attended  with  less  cost  than  usual,  inasmuch  as  the  excava- 
tions may  be  drained  for  a  long  time,  and  will  therefore  save 
the  expense  of  pumping  by  steam  power. 

Another  seam  or  vein  exists  in  this  vicinity  on  lands  owned 
by  Mr.  Glass.  It  is  the  crystallized  specular  ore,  but  I  have 
seen  it  only  upon  the  surface.  Not  far  distant  is  the  famous 
locality  of  haematite,  usually  known  as  ore  hill.  It  occupies 
a  knob  some  two  or  three  hundred  feet  above  the  surround- 
ing country.  The  ore  lies  in  belts,  which  traverse  the  hill  in 
an  easterly  and  westerly  direction.  Quartzite  forms  the  pin- 
nacle of  the  hill,  and  as  usual,  is  associated  with  talcose  slate. 
The  ore  is  more  immediately  associated  with  the  latter  rock. 

It  is  from  this  place  that  the  ore  was  procured  mainly  in 
the  time  of  the  revolution.  The  old  excavations  are  partially 
filled.  The  ore  is  in  large  concretions  or  masses,  which,  in 
their  general  arrangement,  lie  across  the  hill.  It  is  not,  I 
believe,  in  one  body,  as  has  been  supposed  by  many.    The 


NOETH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   BUEVEY.  123 

quantity  I  am   unable  to  estimate ;  but  appearances  go  to 
show  that  it  must  be  large. 

Some  of  the  first  ores  of  this  neighborhood  I  found  upon 
the  plantation  of  Mr.  Heading.  It  is  magnetic,  and  resem- 
bles very  closely  the  kind  I  have  already  spoken  of  in  Guilford 
county,  on  the  plantation  of  the  late  Mr.  Coffin.  I  have  not, 
however,  seen  the  vein  from  which  the  remarkably  fine  spe- 
cimens were  derived. 

Magnetic  ore  of  a  fine  quality  exists  also  on  the  plantation 
of  Mr.  Temple  Unthanks.  It  is  two  or  three  miles  beyond 
Mr.  Evans'  vein,  and  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  from  the 
plankroad.  The  vein  varies  in  width  from  one  to  three  feet. 
From  the  foregoing  statement,  it  will  be  perceived  that  in 
this  part  of  Chatham  county  there  is  a  valuable  mineral  dis- 
trict ;  furnishing  three  species  of  iron  ore,  the  hcBtnatite,  tnag- 
netio  and  specular.  These  are  the  principal  ores  from  which 
iron  is,  obtained.  These  repositories  also  contain  ore  of  great 
purity,  difiFering  from  each  other,  however,  in  richness  and 
other  qualities;  a  fact  of  considerable  importance  in  the 
manufacture  of  iron.  It  is  by  a  combination  of  different 
ores,  possessing  different  qualities,  that  the  manufacture  of 
this  metal  is  facilitated,  and  by  which  one  possessing  the  most 
desirable  qualities  is  obtained,  I  shall  have  occasion,  how- 
ever, farther  on,  to  add  two  kinds  of  ore  to  the  foregoing  list ; 
that  of  the  hydrated  oxide,  mixed  with  carbonate  and  the 
celebrated  ore  called  the  black  band,  which  belongs  to  the 
coal  formation  of  Deep  river.  It  is  this  first  from  which 
Pennsylvania  manufactures  her  iron  principally,  though 
not  entirely.  Her  iron  masters  also  use  the  magnetic  ores. 
The  two  kinds  are  mixed.  Experience  proves  the  value  of 
the  method.  But  who  would  suppose  that  iron  masters,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  results  they  seek  for,  could  afford  to  trans- 
port the  magnetic  ore  from  Essex  county,  in  northern  New 
York,  to  Pittsburg  ?  and  yet  thousands  of  tons  are  annually 
sent  there  for  this  purpose. 

Chatham  county,  however,  can  furnish  within  the  radius  of 
seven  or  eight  miles,  five  kinds  of  ore  in  abundance.  It  ap- 
pears that  the  ore  of  this  coal  field,  though  less  in  extent 


124  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    BTJKVET. 

than  tliat  of  the  true  carboniferous  in  Pennsylvania ;  yet, 
there  has  been  deposited  in  this  formation,  iron  ores  on  as 
large  a  scale  as  in  the  true  carboniferous.  Many  are  slow  to 
beheve  it,  but  I  do  not  see  any  way  to  avoid  the  conclusion, 
seeing  that  an  outcrop  of  it  may  be  traced  thirty  miles. 
These  beds,  too,  have  been  cut  in  the  great  shaft  at  Egypt,  a 
thousand  feet  or  more  wdthin  the  outcrop.  But  this  is  not 
the  place  to  enter  into  a  statement  of  details  concerning  this 
great  deposit  of  iron  ore,  I  shall  give  all  the  facts  respect- 
ing it,  when  this  formation  comes  up  in  its  proper  place  for 
consideration. 

But,  one  word  more  respecting  facilities  for  the  manufac- 
ture of  iron  upon  Deep  river.  It  has  been  supposed  that 
Pennsylvania  must  enjoy  a  monopoly  in  the  manufacture  of 
this  indispensable  metal,  in  consequence  of  the  extent  of  her 
possessions,  and  the  vast  amount  of  anthracite  which  she  can 
employ.  Of  the  extent  of  her  resources  in  this  respect  no 
one  can  doubt.  She  can  make  iron  cheaply  by  her  anthra- 
cite, but  no  cheaper  than  it  can  be  made  on  Deep  river  by 
bituminous  coal  or  coke ;  and  coke-made  iron  will  be  as  good 
as  that  made  by  charcoal,  in  consequence  of  the  purity  of 
the  bituminous  coal  on  Deep  river.  And  in  the  manufacture 
of  coke,  I  believe  products  of  distillation  may  be  obtained 
which  will  more  than  pay  the  cost  of  making  the  coke.  But 
this  is  a  matter  to  be  tried,  and  does  not  properly  come  in  for 
consideration  now.  What  I  wish  to  say  is,  that  in  the  coal 
of  Deep  river,  the  manufacturer  has  all  the  material  he  can 
want  for  this  purpose ;  and  if  a  better  article  of  iron  can  be 
made  from  coke  than  by  anthracite,  then,  in  a  district  of 
equal  extent,  North-Carolina  has  advantages  over  Pennsyl- 
vania, for  the  manufacture  of  iron.  In  proof  of  this,  I  repeat 
that  she  has,  1st.  The  peculiar  ore  of  the  coal  fields;  2d. 
The  magnetic,  specular  and  hsematitic  ores  of  the  primary 
and  palaeozoic  rocks  in  immediate  proximity ;  3d.  The  use  of 
coke  by  which  to  make  the  iron ;  4:th.  A  fine  agricultural 
region  for  the  cereals,  and  5th.  A  milder  climate  and  rivers 
both  for  moving  machinery  and  transportation,  which  is  un. 
obstructed  in  the  winter.    The  cost  of  living,  and  the  means 


BTOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL    StTEVEir.  125 

for  conducting  the  business,  will  be  much  cheaper.  These 
advantages  are  too  obvious  to  require  comment  or  farther 
explanation. 

§  138.  Iron  ore  may  exist  in  districts  where  it  can  be  of 
little  value  only  ^  there  may  be  a  destitution  of  fuel,  or  a 
want  of  water-power,  though,  with  respect  to  the  latter,  it 
can  be  disjifnsed  with  Vi'^hen  there  is  an  abundance  of  the 
former. 

In  the  first  belt  described,  that  which  belongs  to  the  King's 
Mountain  belt,  there  is  yet  timber  and  wood  for  a  supply  for 
many  years,  I  know  not  how  many.  The  country  is  yet 
thinly  settled,  although  it  was  cultivated  before  the  day  of 
the  famous  battle  of  King's  Mountain.  Oaks,  chestnut,  pine 
and  hickory  yet  cover  the  ridges  and  plane-grounds  of  the 
Great  and  Little  Catawbas.  The  water-courses  furnish  all 
the  power  required  for  moving  machinery.  It  is  strictly  a 
district  created  for  manufacturing  purposes,  supplying  in  it- 
self all  that  is  wanted  to  conduct  the  various  manipulations 
required  in  creating  what  may  be  termed  the  raw  materials 
for  the  arts. 

The  second  belt,  that  which  begins  in  Montgomery  county, 
and  passes  through  Kandolph  and  onwards  in  a  north- 
eastwardly direction,  is  also  supplied  with  timber,  and  wood 
and  water-power.  The  forests  of  the  long-leaved  pine,  still 
untouched  by  the  boxing-axe  and  scraper  of  the  turpentine 
merchant,  are  certainly  the  finest  in  this  or  any  other  State, 
The  hills  of  Randoljjh  are  still  clothed  with  trees. 

The  third  belt,  that  which  belongs  to  Chatham  county,  but 
which  also  passes  into  Orange  in  the  direction  of  Red  moun- 
tain, to  which  the  belt  of  iron  ore  is  prolonged,  has  its  forests 
of  long-leaved  pine,  as  well  as  its  oaks,  ash  and  hickory  tim- 
bers. Eocky  river.  Deep  river,  Haw  and  Kew  Hope,  furnish 
all  the  mechanical  power  required  for  moving  machinery. 

It  is  evident,  therefore,  after  a  careful  examination  of  the 
premises  in  each  belt,  or  district,  that  there  is  not  lacking 
any  thing,  which  is  necessary  for  the  successful  prosecu- 
tion of  the  iron  business — except  capital.    The  great  high- 


126  NOETH-CAKOLINA  GEdLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

•ways  are  being  opened  to  market,  and  I  see  no  reason  why 
capitalists  may  not  now  step  in  and  reap  tlie  harvests. 

There  are  still  subordinate  deposits  of  iron  ore  wMcli  have 
not  been  mentioned.  In  Johnston  connty,  four  miles  west 
of  Smithtield,  there  is  a  large  deposit  of  haematite.  It  is  con- 
nected with  the  quartzite  of  the  locality.  It  is  in  the  geolog- 
ical position  in  which  it  is  common  to  find  lar^  accumula- 
tions of  ore.  It  is  in  this  respect  situated  like  those  of  Berk- 
shire county,  Massachusetts,  and  Cherokee  and  Lincoln  coun- 
ties, ITorth-Carolina. 

Seven  or  eight  miles  south-west  from  Raleigh,  in  Wake 
county,  the  rock  is  an  argillaceous  •  slate  and  chloritic  slate. 
Near  Mr.  Whitaker's,  a  bluif  of  haematite,  in  the  hydrous 
peroxide  of  iron,  is  displayed  very  prominently.  The  whole 
formation  is  similar  to  the  locality  already  described,  near 
Smithfield,  Johnston  county.  A  thin  seam  of  copper  pyrites 
has  been  noticed  in  the  same  formation,  in  a  vein  stone  of 
quartz  eight  inches  wide,  but  it  is  of  no  account.  The  argil- 
laceous slate  resembles  that  of  Davidson  county. 

Two  miles  south-west  from  Licolnton,  Lincoln  county,  there 
is  a  fine  bed  of  haematite  which  was  not  noticed  in  its  proper 
place. 

In  Orange  county,  also  in  the  range  of  Red  mountain,  ex- 
tensive ore  beds  have  been  discovered,  as  I  am  informed  by 
Mr.  Gillis,  of  Grranville  county,  who  made  explorations  for 
me  in  this  part  of  the  State,  and  which  I  state  on  his  authority. 

In  conclusion  of  this  branch  of  the  report,  I  have  no  hesi- 
tation  in  assuming  the  responsibility  of  assuring  the  citizens 
of  North-Carolina,  that  the  quantity  of  iron  ore  in  the  mid- 
land counties  is  enough  to  warrant  the  establishment  of  fur- 
naces or  forges,  for  its  manufacture  in  all  the  districts 
which  I  have  named.  It  is  not  so  much,  however,  a  question 
of  quantity  or  quality  as  of  expediency,  at  the  present  time. 
The  time  for  moving  in  enterprizes  of  this  kind,  must  be  left 
to  the  judgment  of  parties.  The  great  drawback,  as  all  know, 
in  this  business  has  been  the  expense  of  carrying  the  manu- 
factured article  to  market.    This  bar  to  the  enterprize  it 


NOETH-CAKOLIlsrA   GEOLOGICAL    8UEVEY.  127 

is  hoped  and  believed  is  about  to  be  removed — is  removed 
in  some  of  the  districts  referred  to. 

Carbonate  of  Iron,  or  Steel  Ore. — The  localities  of  this 
mineral  are  rather  numerous  in  IN'orth-Carolina.  It  is  not 
yet  determined,  however,  whether  they  possess  any  value  as 
iron  ore,  for  the  production  of  iron.  That  it  is  frequently 
valuable  as  a  flux  for  smelting  copper  is  conceded,  or  has 
been  proved  by  trial.  The  drawback  upon  this  species  of 
ore,  for  the  production  of  iron  or  steel,  lies  in  the  presence  of 
copper  pyrites.  It  is  not  in  beds,  but  an  associate  of  other 
metals  or  ores,  and  is  their  vein  stone,  and  hence  is  more  or 
less  intermixed  with  them.  But  in  parts  of  several  mines, 
as  the  N^orth-Carolina  copper  mine,  the  copper  is  absent,  and 
it  is  only  intermixed  with  quartz. 

In  the  vicinity  of  G-en.  Gray's,  upon  the  head  waters  of 
the  Uwharrie,  carbonate  of  iron  is  a  very  common  substance. 
Upon  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Johnson,  a  vein  composed  main- 
ly of  this  substance  has  been  exposed,  by  sinking  two  or 
three  shafts,  for  the  purpose  of  testing  it  for  gold.  This  vein 
is  pure  enough  for  making  iron.  It  carries  gold  in  its  quartz, 
but  the  quantity  of  the  sulphurets  is  inconsiderable.  I  ob- 
served it  at  several  places  in  this  district.  It  is  not  however 
expected  that  this  ore  will  be  used  by  itself  in  the  manufac- 
ttire  of  iron.  But  where  it  exists  in  the  vicinity  of  other 
ores,  it  will  form  an  excellent  addition  as  a  flux,  while  it  will 
also  control  the  quantity  of  reduced  iron,  in  the  ultimate 
result. 

"  BeGapitulation  of  the  leading  facts  respecting  the  Ores  of 
Iron. — 1.  The  ores  of  iron,  although  they  do  not  make  an  ex- 
traordinary show  upon  the  surface,  yet,  it  will  be  seen  from 
the  foregoing  statements,  that  they  constitute  an  important 
source  of  wealth. 

2.  These  ores  embrace  those  which  are  known  to  be  the 
most  important  ones  for  the  production  of  iron,  and  embrace 
the  brown  oxides,  or  haematites,  the  specular  and  magnetic, 
or  black  oxide  of  iron. 

3.  They  are  distributed  in  the  midland  counties  in  belts, 
and  though  it  cannot  be  shown  that  they  form  continuous 


128  NORTH-CAROLllsrA  GEOLOGICAL    SHRTET.    . 

masses  or  veins,  still  tliey  lie  in  Certain  ranges,  tlirongli  which 
they  may  be  traced,  and  upon  which  thej  appear  at  the  sur- 
face at  intervals. 

4.  They  belong  to  both  series  of  rocks,  the  pyrocrystal- 
line  and  sedimentary ;  in  both  they  occur  in  veins,  which  of 
course  proves  that  they  belong  to  a  later  period  than  that  to 
which  the  rock  itself  belongs. 

5.  Those  veins  which  belong  to  the  sediments  appear  to 
hold  a  fixed  relation  to  the  quartzite  or  sandstone  near  the 
base  of  the  Taconic  system,  being,  so  far  as  yet  known,  be- 
hind or  beneath  it,  in  slates  which  may  be  termed  the  bottom 
rocks  of  the  sedim^ents. 

6.  The  haematites  accompany,  in  set'eral  instances  at  least, 
the  quartz  rock  already  referred  to  \  and  they  bear  the  marks 
of  having  been  derived  from  pre-existing  ores. 

7.  Experience  has  proved  that  the  magnetic  ores  make  a 
superior  iron.  The  specular  has  not  been  tested  in  the  fur- 
nace or  forge,  but  their  purity  is  a  sufficient  guarantee  of 
their  value. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Mejyositories  of  the  Metals  continued. — Gold  cmd  its  position^ 
relations,  etc. 

§  139.  The  gold  of  North-Carohna  belongs  to  four  differ- 
ent geological  positions  t  1.  The  loose  quartz  grits  beneath 
the  surface  soil ;  2.  In  stratified  layers,  which  are  cotempo- 
raneous  with  the  rock ;  3.  In  connection  with  seams  and 
joints  of  the  rocks,  and  probably  also  diffused  in  the  mass ; 
4.  In  regular  veins  associated  with  quartz,  and  the  sulphu- 
rets  of  iron  and  copper. 


NOKTH-OAROLBSTA  GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  129 

The  quartz  grits  form  loose  beds,  in  which,  as  the  name 
implies,  quartz  is  the  characteristic  mineral.  It  is  both  an- 
gular and  rounded,  and  is  invariably  made  up  of  broken 
down  quartz  veins,  which  were  auriferous.  This  grit  rests 
usually  on  the  rocky  bed  below,  it  may  be  granite,  slate  or 
hornblende,  or  almost  any  rock. 

The  origin  of  this  grit  and  the  gold  it  contains,  belongs  to 
the  present  epoch  ;  and  the  formation  of  it  is  due  to  the  ac- 
tion, in  part  at  least,  of  existing  forces. 

In  every  region  of  the  State  where  gold  is  known,  this 
formation  is  known  ;  it  is  coextensive  with  the  auriferous  for- 
mations. It  is,  however,  variable  in  thickness,  depth  and 
richness. 

"We  do  not,  however,  know  when  or  how  long  ago  the  dis- 
integration of  the  gold  rocks  of  this  State  began.  The  rocks 
themselves  are  the  oldest,  and  as  they  have  not  received  up- 
on them  other  deposits  than  those  which  are  derived  from 
themselves,  it  is  clear  that  the  process  of  disintegration  may 
have  been  going  on  from  the  remotest  periods;  and  hence, 
the  oldest  of  the  quartz  grits  containing  gold  may  be  contem- 
poraneous with  the  Silurian  system.  What  I  have  said  in  a 
foregoing  paragraph  respecting  the  age  of  the  auriferous 
grits,  means  merely  that  the  process  is  going  on  now. 

A  large  proportion  of  the  gold  which  has  been  obtained  in 
all  periods,  has  been  obtained  from  this  formation.  Most  of 
the  gold  from  California  and  Australia  is  taken  from  it.  All 
the  large  pieces  come  from  it.  A  fact  of  curious  import. 
Very  few  instances  have  occurred  of  lumps  weighing  several 
pounds  which  were  still  imbedded  in  the  vein,  though  vein 
stone  is  usually  attached  to  those  which  are  found  in  the 
soil.  In  Catawba  county,  at  the  Cansler  and  Shuford 
mine,  pieces  weighing  over  a  pound  have  been  taken  from 
the  rock  near  the  surface.  It  does  not  appear  necessary  to 
dwell  upon  these  deposits  of  gold.  They  are  well  understood 
in  this  State,  It  may  be  useful  to  state  that  in  forming  an 
opinion  of  the  richness  of  a  vein,  or  of  the  rock  which  forms 
the  deposit,  it  is  necessary  to  make  a  great  allowance  ;  it  is 
not  safe  to  infer  from  a  rich  washing  that  the  vein  must  be 
9 


130  NORTH-CAEOLIN'A   aEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY. 

rich  also.  The  gold  has  been  accnmulating,  it  may  be,  for  a 
long  period ;  and  a  large  quantity  of  vein  or  rock  has  con- 
tributed to  the  amount  of  gold  obtained.  A  sauce  pan  full 
of  debris  gives  a  grain  or  two  of  gold  perhaps,  but  it  may  be, 
that  originally,  this  gold  was  distributed  through  twice  the 
quantity  of  material  taken  for  the  experiment ;  or,  to  take 
another  case,  it  often  happens  that  the  gold  is  unequally 
distributed  in  the  rock  or  vein,  a  very  rich  spot  may  be  hit 
upon,  which  was  derived  from  a  single  spot  in  the  vein.  This 
result  would  give  no  criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  the  rich- 
ness of  the  whole  vein.  It  is  hardly  necessary  to  say  that 
many  experimental  tests  should  be  made,  before  a  conclusion 
is  formed  of  the  richness  of  the  rock  from  which  the  gold 
came. 

§  140.  The  second  geological  position  in  which  I  find  gold, 
is  in  layers  or  heds  in  the  rock  with  which  it  is  contempora- 
neous. If  this  view  is  correct,  gold  is  a  sediment ;  and  be- 
longs, as  I  shall  show,  to  the  palaeozoic  period.  I  do  not 
know  that  we  could  infer  this  from  its  occurrence  in  the 
quartz  grits  which  have  been  spoken  of,  though  we  might 
probably  be  satisfied  that  this  formation  belonged  to  a  distant 
epoch. 

These  ancient  auriferous  deposits  may  be  distinguished 
from  veins  by  the  absence  of  walls ;  there  is  really  no  line  of 
demarkation  between  the  auriferous  layers  and  the  adjacent 
ones.  They  can  be  determined  only  by  testing,  except  by 
miners,  who  have  become  perfectly  familiar  with  the  bed  or 
layer ;  even  those  are  not  aware  of  a  change,  except  by  the 
absence  of  gold,  or  until  it  is  proved  by  panning.  A  slide, 
for  example,  has  taken  place,  the  auriferous  layer  is  shifted ; 
yet  the  miner  works  along  the  plane  of  dip,  and  only  discov- 
ers the  absence  of  gold  in  the  mode  I  have  stated.  These 
facts  go  to  prove  most  conclusively  that  a  fissure  never  was 
formed,  and  that  the  layer  has  become  auriferous  by  the 
deposition  of  gold,  in  company  with  the  sedimentary  matter 
which  forms  the  layer. 

I  am  not  able,  at  this  time,  to  state  how  widely  gold  is  dis- 
seminated in  the  palseozoic  rocks ;  but  from  indications  deriv- 


NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  131 

ed  from  a  few  facts,  it  appears  probable  that  it  may  be  wide- 
ly diffused  or  contained  in  most  of  the  rocks  in  North-Caro- 
lina which  belong  to  the  Taconic  system.  Thus,  in  Eandolpli 
county,  small  quantites  of  gold  may  be  obtained  from  every 
ravine,  and  frequently  from  the  surface  soil  in  which  there  is 
not  a  particle  of  quartz  grits ;  it  seems  therefore  to  have  been 
derived  at  large  from  the  rock,  and  not  from  broken  down 
veins.  But  it  should  be  understood  that  the  strata  in  whicli 
the  quantity  is  sufficient  to  pay  a  profit,  are  rare. 

§  141.  Tlie  first  deposit  to  which  I  shall  call  the  attention 
of  the  reader,  is  known  as  the  Jones  mine.  It  is  situated  in 
Davidson  county,  about  three  miles  east  of  Spencer's  post 
office.  It  is  near  the  line  of  Kandolph  and  Davidson  coun- 
ties, and  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  the  main  road, 
and  near  the  dwelling  of  Mr.  Arnold.  At  this  mine,  the  gold 
is  disseminated  through  a  mass  of  soft  reddish  talcose  slate, 
sixty  feet  wide.  The  auriferous  part  of  the  rock  may  be, 
perhaps,  more  deeply  tinged  with  brown  than  the  rest  of  it, 
but  it  scarcely  differs  from  it.  The  auriferous  particles  are 
evidently  a  decomposed  sulphuret  of  iron,  and  probably  of 
fine  particles  of  quartz ;  for  in  the  richest  part  of  the  mass, 
the  fine  quartz  is  more  abundant  than  the  talc.  The  whole 
has  the  softness  of  the  talcose  slates  or  a  magnesian  rock ;  a. 
microscope  proves  that  the  fine  quartz  is  the  most  abundant 
material. 

The  breast  of  ore  as  now  exposed  is  sixty  feet  wide,  and 
from  twenty-five  to  thirty  feet  high.  This  part  of  the  rock 
may  be  broken  up  by  the  hand,  and  when  it  is  undermined, 
large  masses  fall  of  their  own  weight  into  the  pit.  Hence, 
it  is  easily  quarried,  the  mining  consisting  mainly  of  cutting 
out  large  slices  of  the  rock  by  picks,  wedges,  etc.  The  main 
mass  yields  from  ten  to  twenty-five  cents  per  bushel  of  ore. 
Fifteen  cents  is  an  average,  I  believe,  for  the  whole  breast  of 
sixty  feet.  The  abundance  of  ore,  the  softness  of  the  rock 
which  enables  the  owner  to  work  a  large  quantity  per  day, 
places  this  mine  among  the  valuable  and  paying  ones  in  the 
State,  notwitstanding  the  small  per  centage  it  yields  in  the 
mass.     Ore  of  this  description  pays  more  than  the  evpenses 


V 


132  NOETH-CAItOLMA   GEOLOGICAL    SIIEVEY. 

of  mining  and  separation  of  the  gold,  provided  it  yields  only 
ten  cents  per  bushel.  This  statement  will  be  confirmed, 
when  it  is  proven  by  experiment  that  six  and  seven  hun- 
dred bushels  may  be  worked  per  day,  in  consequence  of 
the  condition  the  ore  is  in,  and  the  facility  with  which  it  is 
mined;  hence  mines  of  this  description,  if  properly  worked 
with  the  few  laborers  which  are  required,  may  become  the 
most  profitable  as  well  as  the  most  valuable  of  the  class. 

Although  I  have  classed  this  mine  with  the  sediments,  it  is 
still  important  to  inform  the  reader,  that  immediately  adja- 
cent to  the  auriferous  mass  on  the  south  and  south-west,  there 
is  a  heavy  bed  of  porphyrized  rock.  Its  presence  suggests 
the  inquiry,  whether  the  agent  which  changed  this  mass  had 
any  thing  to  do  with  charging  the  rock  with  gold  ?  That  fis- 
sures are  charged  with  metallic  matters  by  emanations,  seems 
to  be  proved.  The  case,  however,  under  consideration  pre- 
sents itself  under  dijfferent  circumstances;  and  though  I 
would  not  deny  the  possibility  of  charging  a  mass  of  rock 
with  gold  in  combination  with  the  volatiKzable  sulphurets, 
still  I  cannot  but  regard  the  idea  of  its  accumulating  as  a 
sediment,  as  the  most  simple  and  probable. 

§  142.  Within  a  mile  of  the  Jones  mine,  two  other  mines 
of  this  class  have  been  worked — the  Lafflin  and  Delft  mines. 
The  first  yields  thirty  cents  per  bushel  of  ore.  The  material 
is  similar  to  an  impure  porcelain  clay,  or  it  is  a  pasty  mass, 
forty  feet  deep,  and  mostly  contains  gold — especially  those 
parts  which  contain  black  sand.  It  is  a  decomposed  talcose 
slate. 

It  would  be  superfiuous  to  repeat  what  has  been  already 
said  respecting  the  Jones  mine.  Less  is  known  of  the  Delft, 
however,  than  of  the  Lafiiin  mine,  which  is  now  proving  it- 
self the  best  of  the  three.  They  are  supposed  to  belong  to 
the  same  series  of  beds.  In  neither  of  these  mines  is  it  pos- 
sible to  discover  walls  which  in  any  sense  bound  the  aurifer- 
ous mass. 

§  143.  Another  in  Eandolph  county,  which  is  similar  to 
the  foregoing,  is  the  Robbins  mine,  which  is  near  the  plank- 
road  between  Asheborough  and  Hunt's  store,  but  is  in  an 


NORTH- CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  133 

obscure  part  of  this  section  of  the  county.  Tlie  thickness  of 
the  auriferous  mass  seldom  exceeds  two  feet.  It  is,  however, 
rich  only  through  the  thickness  of  a  few  inches.  It  has  been 
worked  sixty  feet  in  depth,  but  at  this  point  the  auriferous 
mass  is  much  harder  than  above ;  the  sulphuret  of  iron  is  un- 
decomposed,  and  the  consequence  may  be  foreseen,  that  the 
expenses  of  mining  having  become  greatly  increased,  while 
the  gold  obtained  is  less.  The  slate,  which  is  brown,  reddish 
and  soft  above,  is  blue  and  hard  below ;  and  the  sulphuret  of 
iron  which  carries  the  gold,  is  visible  and  unchanged.  Por- 
tions of  the  layers  of  this  mixture  yeilded  a  dollar  per  bushel ; 
but  its  average  is  about  fifty  cents  in  the  mass. 

§  144.  The  well  known  Sawyer  mine  in  the  same  county 
may  be  regarded  as  belonging,  to  the  sedimentary  class.  At 
one  time  it  was  worked  with  great  success  and  profit.  Cir- 
cumstances not  connected  unmediately  with  the  value  of  this 
mine,  led  to  its  abandonment  several  years  ago.  The  bed 
ranges  K.  50°  E.,  and  dips  at  an  angle  of  T5°-80°.  The  ma- 
terial is  a  fine  grained  talcose  slate,  and  disintegrates  and 
forms  a  fine  white  sand.  Its  beds,  therefore,  are  siliceous. 
This  mine  has  five  or  six  parallel  beds  which  are  worked  in  a 
single  tunnel  or  gallery.  It  has  yielded  six  to  ten  dollars  per 
bushel  of  ore,  taken  from  certain  parts  of  the  beds.  But  nar- 
row films  of  ore  of  reddish  color  sometimes  gave  ten  times  as 
much.  Overlying  these  beds,  is  a  porous  black  rock,  highly 
charged  with  sulphuret  of  iron.  Although  rich  in  sul])huret 
of  iron,  which  in  this  district  is  the  principal  vein  stone,  yet 
it  contains  no  gold.  This  mine  has  always  been  worked  with 
profit;  but  the  person  who  leased  it  during  the  last  five 
years  died,  and  no  record  of  its  monthly  or  annual  profits  are 
accessible. 

§  145.  The  Howie  and  Lawson  Gold  mine  in  Union  county. 
This  mine  is  situated  in  the  hills  of  Union  county,  adjacent 
to  the  State  line,  dividing  North  from  South  Carolina.  This 
is  probably _^the  most  elevated  part  of  the  country.  The  rock 
of  the  county  is  mostly  a  clay  slate ;  but  the  hills  about  the 
Howie  mine  are  harder,  and  seem  to  be  intermediate  be- 
tween a  fine  talcose  and  a  clay  slate.    The  bearing  of  the 


134  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

slates  is  N.  55°  E.,  and  the  dip  nearly  vertical.  Three  dis- 
tinct parallel  beds  have  been  worked,  all  of  which  being  de- 
posits, are  of  course  parallel  with  the  direction  of  the  bearing 
of  the  rock.     ' 

The  auriferous  beds  differ  from  the  common  slate  beds  in 
their  hardness,  which  arises  from  a  larger  proportion  of 
quartz,  which  is  either  disseminated  or  in  seams,  or  inter- 
mingled with  them  irregularly.  The  quartz  is  tine,  white, 
and  granular ;  but  on  its  surface  of  contact  with  slate  it  is 
mottled  or  speckled  with  brown  oxide  of  iron.  It  is  upon 
a  surface  bearing  this  peculiar  asj)ect  that  the  gold  becomes 
visible.  Small  cavities,  partly  in  the  quartz  and  slate,  show 
numerous  particles  of  gold ;  and  some  surfaces  in  the  richest 
parts  of  the  beds  are  covered  sufficiently  to  be  polished,  up- 
on which  the  gold  forms  a  perfect  film,  as  if  covered  with 
gold  leaf.  The  beds  are  variable  in  width,  but  the  same  seam 
is  not  uniform  in  this  respect.  The  thinest  is  six  and  the 
;2:reatest  thirty  inches.  When  the  seam  or  bed  is  onlv  six 
inches,  it  is  difficult  to  follow  it  in  depth,  in  consequence  in 
part  of  the  slight  difference  between  the  auriferous  and  non- 
auriferous  beds ;  and  besides,  a  slight  displacement  increases 
the  difficulty.  The  thin  beds,  however,  have  been  followed, 
in  one  or  two  instances  to  the  depth  of  eighty  feet.  The 
amount  of  gold  yielded  per  bushel  has  been  variable.  Prob- 
ably the  average  amount,  when  worked  by  the  owners,  was 
three  dollars  per  bushel.  But  the  statements  gave  more  than 
this.  The  uniform  testimony  of  those  who  were  concerned 
in  working  it  was,  that  there  were  places  where  they  obtained 
one  dollar  and  a  half  per  bushel.  I  obtained  from  speci- 
mens I  procured  during  my  examination  at  the  rate  of  eleven 
dollars  per  bushel,  a  bushel  weiging  one  hundred  pounds. 
The  beds  are  nearly  vertical.  They  have  been  traced  three- 
fourths  of  a  mile.  An  auriferous  vein  of  quartz  intersects 
these  beds,  its  bearing  is  IST.  Y0°  E.  Some  portions  yield  two 
dollars  per  bushel,  but  the  gold  is  distributed  unequally 
through  it.  At  this  locality,  therefore,  we  have  two  kinds  of 
repositories  of  gold,  each  preserving  its  own  characteristics. 

The  Howie  and  Lawson  mine  belongs  to  two  estates.    No 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  135 

one  fact  probably  goes  farther  to  prove  the  estimated  value  of 
these  deposits  of  ore,  than  the  practice  of  keeping  a  plumb  line 
suspended  over  the  exact  boundaries,  the  object  of  which  was 
to  prevent  an  encroachment  upon  their  respective  premises. 
The  miserable  system  prevailed  of  leasing  the  mine  in  small 
parcels ;  and  hence,  they  were  worked  without  system,  and 
by  excavating  an  open  trench.  These  parties  were  usually 
men  without  means ;  and  hence,  when  their  trenches  extend- 
ed to  water  they  were  abandoned  and.  another  place  sought, 
where  the  same  plan  was  pursued.  The  result  which  follow- 
ed was  the  abandonment  or  suspension  of  the  operations. 
These  valuable  mines  are,  however,  now  in  the  hands  of  one* 
who  will  pursue  them  with  scientific  skill. 

§  146.  One  of  the  most  interesting  instances  of  the  occur- 
rence of  gold  in  the  consolidated  sediments,  is  at  a  place  call- 
ed Zion,  twelve  miles  from  Troy,  in  Montgomery  county.  It 
is  both  interesting  and  important,  because  here  the  fact  that 
gold  is  a  sediment,  is  attested  by  the  presence  of  fossils.  This 
locality  has  been  already  described ;  and  the  geological  posi- 
tion of  the  rocks  stated.  The  series  consist  of  sandstones  and 
chert,  which  rest  upon  a  thick  mass  of  brecciated  conglom- 
erate, which  in  its  turn  overlies  talcose  slates. 

Those  parts  of  the  rock  which  contain  gold  are  brown  and 
of  a  loose  texture  from  the  ]3resence  of  the  oxide  of  iron, 
which  undoubtedly  originated  from  the  sulphuret  of  iron 
which  is  sometimes  visible  in  the  rock. 

The  gold  which  has  been  obtained  was  derived  from  the 
debris  of  the  rock,  but  the  rock  itself  sometimes  shows  parti- 
cles of  gold.  The  position  which  seems  to  have  furnished 
the  most  gold  is  near  the  bottom  of  a  hollow,  or  near  the 
head  of  a  ravine  towards  which  the  rock  slopes  on  all  sides. 
The  drainage  of  these  slopes  begins  in  the  granular  quartz, 
and  the  small  stream  which  originates  upon  these  slopes  does 
not  pass  over  an  eruptive  rock  of  any  kind.  There  is,  there- 
fore, no  doubt  respecting  the  beds  from  which  the  gold  is 
derived.f 


*  Commodore  Stockton. 

t  The  geological  position  of  these  beds  is  illustrated  in  Plate  14,  section  2. 


136  NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

N'o  other  locality  except  this  fiirnislies  fossils.  With  res" 
pect  to  other  localities  geologists  might  probably  differ  as  to 
the  question  of  the  sedimentary  origin  of  the  gold,  though 
there  seems  to  be  sufficient  evidence,  that  in  those  cases  al- 
ready described,  they  belong  to  the  same  mass,  I  have  al- 
ready stated  that  other  localities  furnish  the  fossils  in  which 
the  rocks  of  Zion  abound,  but  I  am  not  aware  that  they  fur- 
nish gold  also.  It  is  doubtful  whether  they  have  been  tried. 
Notwithstanding  the  evidence  there  is  of  the  sedimentary 
origin  of  the  gold,  it  is  a  curious  and  interesting  fact  that  it 
is  visible  in  seams'^  which  traverse  tho  rock.  Its  relation  in 
these  cases  shows,  however,  that  its  position  has  changed  since 
it  was  deposited.  If  the  rock  was  not  proved  to  be  a  sediment, 
its  position  and  relations  might  be  explained  by  some  geolo- 
gists by  aid  of  the  igneous  injection.  But  this  application  of 
the  igneous  theory  cannot  be  applied  in  this  case.  There  is 
one  fact  respecting  the  distribution  of  the  gold  in  these  sand- 
stones in  which  it  differs  from  that  of  the  slate,  it  is  more 
generally  distributed  in  the  rock,  though  it  is  more  abundant 
in  certain  localities  than  in  others.  The  gold  in  the  slate  is 
frequently  confined  to  a  single  bed  and  only  a  few  inches 
thick,  and  the  line  of  demarkation  between  the  aurfferous 
and  non-auriferous  parts  is  indistinctly  defined. 

As  a  mine,  the  Zion  locality  has  never  been  regarded  of 
suflicient  consequence  to  be  named,  and  it  is  uniaiown  out  of 
the  neighborhood  in  which  it  is  situated ;  yet  I  was  informed 
that  over  one  hundred  thousand  dollars  had  been  obtained 
from  it. 


*  These  seams  are  seggregations  of  quartz  which  sometimes  pass  through  a  fossil ; 
they  have  no  connexion  with  distinct  and  regular  veins. 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET.  137 


CHAPTEE  XXI. 

Repositofies  of  the  Metals  continued — Gold  associated  with 
Quartzite  and  Slate,  and  frequently  in  irregulaT  'veins — 
Seams  and  natural  Joints. 

§  14Y.  This  class  of  deposits  partakes  of  tlie  characters  which 
belong  to  the  sediments  pro]3er,  described  in  the  preceding- 
chapter,  and  those  in  which  the  metal  is  distributed  in  regu- 
lar veins. 

The  Ward  mine,  in  Davidson  county,  belongs  to  this  di- 
vision or  class;  and  its  description  and  the  accompanying  il- 
lustration will  show  what  characteristics  distinguish  it  from 
those  to  which  it  is  allied. 

The  gold  of  the  Ward  mine  is  connected  immediately  with 
quartz  seams  or  irregular  veins ;  those  which  do  not  extend 
continuously  through  the  rock  but  terminate  in  it,  and  which 
do  not  pursue  the  usual  direction.  There  is  no  direction 
which  they  can  be  said  to  pursue  in  the  main.  The  quartz  is 
subordinate  to  slate  ;  but  I  am  not  aware  that  the  latter  con- 
tains gold,  except  when  it  is  in  contact  with  the  former,  or  is 
distributed  in  the  natural  joints,  which  usually  contain  a  film 
of  quartz.  The  distribution  of  the  metal  too  is  irregular,  and 
is  found  in  pockets  or  bunches,  some  of  which  are  very  pro- 
ductive ;  hence,  there  is  more  uncertainty  in  the  results,  and 
the  mining  operations  cannot  be  conducted  in  a  manner  so 
systematic  as  when  distributed  in  regular  veins. 

The  quartz  at  the  Ward  mine  occupies  the  crest  of  a  knoll, 
and  it  is  so  massive,  I  think,  that  it  is  rather  one  of  the  prin- 
cipal rocks  of  the  formation  than  a  vein.  Indeed,  it  is  dis- 
similar to  the  quartz  which  usually  fills  a  vein  fissure ;  it  is  a 
mass  of  quartzite  in  a  drab  colored  slate ;  subordinate  also  to 
th#main  mass,  but  separated  from  it  by  slate.  In  fact,  the 
knoll  is  made  up  of  reticulations  of  heavy  beds  and  thin 
seams,  which  intersect  the  slate  in  many  directions^ 


13S 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. 


Fiffure  16  illustrates  the 
cliaracter  of  many  of  the 
intersections  which  occurs, 

1,  1,  is  a  vein  of  quartz 
two   to   three    feet  thick, 

2,  2,  seams  passing  out 
from  it.  Now  the  main 
mass  of  quartz  is  too  poor 
in  gold  to  be  worked,  and 
it  is   probable    that  it  -is 

rather  confined  to  its  junction  with  the  slate  ;  but  the  small 
seams  2,  2,  are  frequently  rich.  The  large  vein  runs  about 
east  and  west,  and  dips  to  the  north  at  a  steep  angle.  But 
the  large  mass  of  quartz  upon  the  summit  of  the  knoll  ap- 
pears to  take  the  usual  direction  of  the  beds  of  this  system, 
that  is  north  east  and  south  west.  The  mining  has  been  con- 
fined to  the  south  of  this  great  mass  of  quartz,  and  hence,  as 
it  is  not  exposed  by  cuts,  it  is  still  uncertain  in  what  light  to 
regard  it.  It  resembles,  in  a  few  of  its  characters,  the  fossili- 
ferous  quartz  of  Zion,  Montgomery  county,  and  the  silicious 
slates  contain  almond  shaped  concretions. 

Fig.  17.  The  gold  of  this  mine  is  crystallized. 

The  crystallizations,  however,  take  the 
skeleton  form,  in  which  the  faces  of 
the  octohedron  are  represented  by 
lines  and  not  by  smooth  faces,  as  in 
the  annexed  figure.  The  crystalline 
pieces  occur  in  the  form  of  arrow 
heads,  spears,  angular  plates,  etc.  A 
vely  large  proportion  of  the  gold  is 
crystalline.  The  pockets  containing 
crystals  usually  lie  in  a  red  siliceous  clay,  which  has  been  de- 
rived from  the  rock  in  contact  with  a  seam  of  quartz.  Some 
of  the  pockets  have  furnished  five  or  six  hundred  dollars  of 
crystallized  gold. 

The  greatest  quantity  of  gold,  however,  has  been  obtained 
by  washing  the  soil,  and  hence  it  comes  under  the  usual  de- 
nomination branch  mine.     Several  acres  have  been  tested  by 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  139 

panning,  and  the  results  obtained  show  that  gold  is  widely 
distributed  in  the  immediate  vicinity  where  the  principal 
workings  have  been  carried  on.  The  value  of  this  mine  is 
not  yet  determined,  as  it  is  only  very  recently  that  the  work 
has  been  conducted  with  system,  and  a  proper  attention  to 
the  peculiarities  of  the  repository. 

~  §  148.  The  Hoover  Hill  gold  mine,  of  Randolph  county, 
may  be  classed  with  the  foregoing,  as  the  metal  is  distrib- 
uted in  irregular  branching  seams  which  spring  from  a  heavy 
mass  of  tough  quartzite. 

The  rock  is  traversed  by  two  systems  of  joints,  and  which 
may  have  been  developed  by  a  porphyrized  dyke,  whose  di- 
rection is  N.  20°  E. 

The  Hill  is  intersected  by  many  cuts  running  in  difierent 
directions,  which  pursue  the  seams  of  quartz  or  the  joints  by 
which  it  is  divided.  These  joints  have  frequently  given  a 
rich  return,  but  too  frequently  the  dishonest  miner  has  filled 
his  bucket  with  the  rich  auriferous  dust,  and  appropriated  it 
to  his  own  use.  If  reports  are  correct,  no  mine  has  suffered 
so  much  from  the  pilfering  system  as  this. 

The  great  drawback  to  a  successful  prosecution  of  mining 
is  the  hardness  of  the  rock  which  has  to  be  encountered  in 
driving  upon  a  vein  of  ore.  The  system  of  leasing  it  in  parts 
too  has  injured  the  owners  of  the  property,  all  of  which  has 
finally  resulted  virtually  in  its  abandonment,  until  the  obnox- 
ious leases  shall  have  expired. 

§  149.  Cansler  and  SJniford  gold,  mine,  in  Catawba  county. 
This  mine  is  sixteen  miles  north  easterly  from  Lincolnton, 
and  about  six  miles  south  from  the  ford.  Both  the  soil  above 
the  rock  and  the  soft  reddish  rock  itself  yields  the  metal,  but 
the  most  productive  parts  of  the  rock  are  the  natural  joints 
and  quartz  seams.  A  large  quantity  of  gold  has  been  ob- 
tained, and  pieces  in  proximity  to  the  natural  joints  have 
been  found,  which  weighed  a  pound.  These  have  an  entirely 
different  form  from  most  of  the  native  gold.  They  are  made 
up  of  slightly  coherent  plates  separated  by  slate  or  talc,  but 
the  whole  so  adherent  as  to  require  the  tearing  or  rending  of 
the, gold,  in  order  to  eifect  a  separation.     Small  lumps  of 


140  NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

gold  of  this  structure  have  been  quite  common.  I  shall  not 
attempt  to  account  for  this  peculiarity  in  the  form  of  the 
gold,  when  found  in  the  connexion  stated,  "When  gold  has 
been  separated  from  its  mechanical  combination  as  it  exists 
in  pyrites,  it  is  cast  down  on  the  quartz  in  the  form  of  a 
plate,  or  lamina.  The  force  employed  in  the  separation  and 
final  deposition  upon  the  quartz,  or  upon  a  seam,  or  in  a  nat- 
ural joint,  may  have  been  electro-magnetic.  Practically,  it 
is  importaant  to  be  informed  respecting  the  position  in  which 
it  is  to  be  found  in  repositories  of  this  kind. 
.  The  Cansler  and  Shuford  mine  has  been  worked  profitably 
from  its  first  opening.  The  want  of  water  is  the  greatest  ob- 
stacle to  a  still  more  profitable  result  than  has  yet  been  ob- 
tained. 

§  150.  Tlie  Portis  mine,  in  Franklin  county,  (if  descrip- 
tions can  be  relied  upon,)  may  be  referred  to  this  class.  It 
belongs  to  the  Taconic  slates',  and  is  therefore  in  the  same 
geological  position.  IS^o  vein  has  ever  been  discovered ;  and 
hence,  it  is  probable  that  the  seams  of  quartz  and  seams  in 
the  slate  have  been  broken  down,  and  their  contents  mingled 
in  the  soil.  It  has  been  remarkable  for  the  quantity  of  gold 
which  has  been  found  in  lumps. 

§  151.  The  Parker  mine  of  Stanly  county  I  believe  should 
be  ranked  in  this  class,  inasmuch  as  no  vein  has  been  discov- 
ered, which  carries  gold.  The  rock  is  a  decomposed  mass, 
rather  tenacious  ;  but  the  gold  is  distributed  in  seams.  Some 
deep  excavations  have  been  made.  Two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  in  gold  have  been  obtained  from  this  material,  which 
it  is  needless  to  say  differs  from  the  auriferous  quartz  grits  of 
the  branch  mines.  Several  masses  weighing  four  and  five 
pounds  were  taken  from  the  surface.  The  whole  area,  com- 
posing three  or  four  acres,  seems  to  be  a  decomposed  slate 
through  which  the  metal  is  distributed. 

The  Beaver  Dam  mine,  in  Montgomery  county,  may  be 

classed  also  with  the  Portis  and  others,  in  which  no  distinct 

or  main  vein  has  been,  or  is  likely  to  be  found ;  and  it  is  a 

'  matter  of  considerable  importance  to  know  that  mines  of  this 

character  have  the  gold  attached,  or  in  connexion  with,  their 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  141 

seams  or  strings  as  they  are  frequently  called  ;  for  large  ex- 
penditures have  been  made,  and  are  likely  still  to  be  made, 
in  attempting  to  discover  a  vein  which  does  not  probably  ex- 
ist. Therefore,  it  appears  to  me,  that  when  the  gold  occurs 
in  the  mode  I  have  represented,  it  will  be  a  waste  of  money 
to  cut  deep  trenches,  or  resort  to  other  measures  to  discover 
the  vein.  At  the  Ward  mine  quartz  is  not  wanting,  but  the 
largest  masses  are  not  auriferous. 

The  Beaver  Dam  mine  has  been  very  productive,  if  the 
accounts  I  have  heard  of  it  can  be  relied  upon.  It  is  the  tes- 
timony of  men  worthy  of  confidence ;  and  it  is  interesting 
to  know  that  all  of  the  mines  which  I  have  placed  in  this 
class  of  repositories  have  yielded  large  profits,  and  none  of 
them  have  been  abandoned.  The  Hoover  Hill  mine  has  not 
been  worked  very  vigorously  of  late,  and  I  believe  has  paid 
only  moderate  profits.  They  have  all  furnished,  especially 
those  which  are  slaty  and  traversed  with  strings  of  quartz, 
many  large  lumps  of  gold.  Of  this  number  is  the  Beaver 
Dam,  the  Ward  mine,  Cansler  and  Shuford,  and  the  Portis 
mine.  This  has  been  rather  a  common  occurrence  at  the 
latter. 


OHAPTEE   XXII. 


Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued. —  Veins  belonging  to  the 
'Slates. — Ti'ue  Veins. — Arrangements  of  the  materials  fil- 
ling the  Fissures. — Right  running  Veins.,  or  cross  courses. — ■ 
Conrad  Hill  Gold  Mine.— Description  of  its  Veins — their 
Characteristics. 

§  152.  Veins  are  the  most  productive,  as  well  as  the  most 
permanent  repositories  of  the  metals.  These  I  have  defined 
as  fissures  in  a  rock  which  have  been  filled  with  the  metals, 


*■*, 


142  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

their  oxides,  sulpliurets  and  other  chemical  combinations,  to- 
gether with  the  stony  mass  with  which  they  are  associated, 
which  is  called  gangue  or  vein  stone. 

The  metals  or  their  combination  with  sulphur  and  oxygen 
are  scattered  through  the  vein  stone  in  masses  of  difierent 
sizes,  and  when  about  to  take  the  form  of  a  vein,  become 
elongated  or  wedge  form  in  planes  parallel  with  the  walls. 
Veins  pursue  a  certain  uniform  direction  in  every  mineral 
district.  In  Korth-Carolina  this  direction  is  usually  east  of 
north ;  and  it  coincides  veiy  nearly  with  the  strike  of  the 
beds.  But  while  this  direction  coincides  neai"ly  with  the 
strike  of  the  rock,  and  hence  some  geologists  maintain  that 
they  are  merely  beds ;  it  is  rarely,  if  ever,  that  they  coincide 
with  the  beds  as  they  descend  into  the  rock.  This  want  of 
conformity  to  the  layers  or  strata,  places  these  repositories  in 
the  class  which  are  properly  termed  veins.  It  is  doubtful  too, 
whether  there  is  a  coincidence  in  their  strike  with  the  planes 
of  bedding,  or  their  coincidence  can  be  claimed  only  for  short 
distances. 

The  metal  in  a  promising  vein,  in  addition  to  its  distribu- 
tion through  the  gangue  in  masses,  is  also  accumulated  upon 
the  foot  wall;  it  may  change  its  position,  but  its  usual  place 
is  there  or  in  the  middle  of  the  vein  stone,  and  rarely  against 
the  roof  or  hanging  wall.  The  most  promising  plane,  as  I 
have  remarked,  is  its  accumulation  in  a  belt  or  zone  against 
the  foot  wall.  But  this  is  more  obvious  in  the  case  of  the 
sulphurets  than  in  gold  veins,  in  which  the  gangue  is  quartz. 
If  the  gangue  is  sulphuret  of  iron  and  quartz,  more  gold  will 
be  found  adjacent  to  the  foot  wall  than  against  the  hang- 
ing wall. 

It  sometimes  happens  that  more  than  one  set  of  veins  crop 
out  and  form  another  series,  which  run  nearly  a  parallel 
course  among  themselves,  or  they  may  be  divergent  from 
each  other.  In  determining  which  should  be  regarded  as  the 
right  running  veins,  it  is  necessary  to  inquire  what  is  the  usu- 
al direction  which  the  veins  of  a  country  or  district  pursue. 
In  Xorth-Carolina,  this  direction,  as  I  have  stated,  is  east  of 
north,  though  a  few  instances  occur  in  which  the  direction  is 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  .143 

a  few  degi-ees  west  of  north.  The  variation  in  the  extreme 
is  from  N.  10°  W.  to  N.  70°  E.;  but  iisiiallj  only  N.  45°  E. 
Veins,  therefore,  which  run  within  the  limits  I  have  stated, 
may  be  called  the  right  running  or  normal  veins.  Those  on 
the  contrary  which  clearly  intersect  these,  should  be  regarded 
as  cross  courses  or  cross  veins.  Instances  of  cross  courses, 
however,  are  not  numerous  in  the  mining  districts  of  this 
State. 

§  153.  The  mining  property,  known  as  the  Conrad  Hill,  is 
situated  in  the  north  part  of  Davidson  county,  and  about  six 
miles  east  of  Lexington,  its  shiretown.  It  is  favorably  locat- 
ed, and  its  reputation  as  a  mining  property  has  stood  high. 
It  has  been  worked  only  for  gold,  though,  as  I  shall  show,  it 
is  highly  probable  that  it  will  be  hereafter  more  profitable  for 
its  copper  ore.  It  has  been  impossible  to  ascertain  how  much 
gold  this  mine  has  yielded,  as  it  has  been  in  the  hands  of 
several  persons  since  it  was  discovered. 

The  surrounding  country  is  interesting,  from  the  character 
of  the  rocks  and  the  number  of  metallic  veins  which  are 
known  to  exist,  and  many  of  which  have  been  profitably 
worked.  The  Three  Hat  mountain  is  upon  the  south,  which 
rises  probably  a  thousand  feet  above  the  surrounding  coun- 
try. Its  rock  is  quartzite,  and  a  large  portion  of  its  surface 
is  covered  with  a  slaty  chert,  exceedingly  hard.  Between 
the  mountain  and  Conrad  Hill  there  is  a  deep  valley,  and 
upon  the  ascent  towards  the  hill  there  is  a  trapdike  running 
about  north  east  which  is  one  hundred  yards  thick.  The 
veins  cross  the  highest  part  of  the  eminence  already  spoken 
of,  and  in  passing  onwards  in  the  direction  of  their  strike, 
cross  a  valley  about  five  hundred  feet  wide  ;  after  which, 
they  reappear  on  another  eminence  called  Dodge  Hill. 

Conrad  Hill  is  elevated  only  eighty-eight  feet  above  the 
plain  just  south  of  it,  and  through  a  part  of  which  the  heavy 
eruptive  rock  passes.  It  is  rounded,  and  slopes  in  all  direc- 
tions ;  but  the  greater  slopes  are  upon  the  south  and  south 
west  sides.  The  property  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  north 
and  south  line.  The  east  side  is  Conrad  Hill  proper.  The 
veins  all  crop  out  on  the  east  side  of  the  division  line ;  but  as 


141  NOETH-CAEOLINA    GEOLOGICAL    StRVEY.  't 

they  dip  north  westerly,  those  near  the  hne  pass  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  Conrad  Hill  property.  This  hne,  however,  has 
no  connexion  with  the  formation,  and  hence  requires  no  far- 
ther notice. 

The  repository  of  the  gold  is  quartz,  which  carries  the  metal 
intermixed  both  in  the  quarts,  carbonate  of  iron,  and  in  the 
sulphurets ;  the  latter  of  which  are  decomposed,  and  the  only 
remaining  element,  iron^  is  in  the  condition  of  a  hydrous 
brown  oxide  as  usual. 

§  154.  The  metal  of  this  hill  is  collected  in  quartz  veins. 
While  the  quartz  carries  gold  by  itself,  we  find  it  also  in  the 
sulphurets  which  the  quartz  contains,  and  probably  these  sul- 
phurets are  the  true  auriferous  compounds.  To  a  superficial 
observer,  or  to  one  who  is  not  fully  informed  of  the  facts  res- 
pecting gold  bearing  rocks,  they  would  be  led  to  believe  that 
the  quartz,  and  a  brownish  or  ferruginous  substance  consti- 
tuted the  only  matrices  for  gold.  But  here,  as  elsewhere,  the 
undecomposed  sulphurets  are  rich  in  this  metal,  although  it 
is  difficult  to  obtain  it  from  them.  "When,  however,  these 
sulphurets  are  decomposed  by  atmospheric  agency,  the  gold 
is  disengaged  from  its  combination,  and  hence,  is  obtained  by 
the  simplest  processes  imaginable. 

§  155.  The  veins  of  this  hill  have  been  worked  only  to  the 
depth  of  one  hundred  feet,  and  in  but  few  places  to  that 
depth.  Hence,  I  am  led  to  believe  that  large  quantities  of 
ore  still  remain  accessible,  and  may  be  raised  at  a  profit  by 
its  proprietors.  Shafts  have  been  sunk  to  the  depths  of 
ninety-eight  feet,  and  in  one  case  to  one  hundred  and  seven- 
teen feet  below  the  surface  of  the  hill.  The  deepest  shaft,  is 
that  sunk  upon  the  west  slojie  of  the  hill.  The  veins  which 
have  been  explored  at  all,  have  been  worked  to  about  the 
same  extent  as  to  depth  and  length  ;  probably  the  depth  will 
average  eighty  feet,  and  in  length  one  hundred  feet,  the  maxi- 
mum length,  I  believe,  will  not  exceed  one  hundred  and  fif- 
ty-five feet. 

§  156.  The  structure  of  Conrad  Hill  is  interesting  and  in- 
structing both  to  the  geologist  and  practical  miner.  It  fur- 
nishes those  phenomena  which  are  of  a  decided  character. 


PLAN    or    VEINS    i\T    CONR/\D    HILL        GOLD,  MINE. 


Tcansverse     Sec1;iorL 


Lith  of  J  -  Murray,  Alb  a  ny- 


NORTH-CABOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  145 

The  veins  are  bold  and  strong,  and  yet  free  from  distur- 
bances and  shifts,  which  so  frequently  perplex  the  miner,  and 
occasion  solicitude  and  expense  to  the  proprietors ;  and  which 
also  sometimes  thwart  the  skill  of  the  most  experienced  work- 
man. Notwithstanding  the  veins  are  all  bold  and  strong,  yet 
differences  of  opinion  exist  as  to  their  number  as  well  as  to 
their  relations.  This,  however,  does  not  arise  so  much  from 
the  existence  of  an  intricacy  in  their  relation  as  from  a  want 
of  a  few  suitable  cross-cuts  at  the  surface.  In  describing 
these  veins,  I  shall  express  the  views  which  I  have  obtained 
from  a  personal  examination,  though  they  may  differ  some- 
what from  those  who  have  been  employed  for  years  in  this 
group  of  veins. 

According,  then,  to  my  own  examination,  1  am  disposed  to 
maintain  that  upon  Conrad  Hill  six  distinct  veins  may  be 
pointed  out,  viz.,  three  normal  or  right  running  and  nearly 
parallel  veins,  and  three  cross  veins.  The  first  class  lie  di- 
rectly behind  eq^h  other,  but  do  not  crop  out  at  equal  dis- 
tances apart.  Their  parallelism  is  confined  to  their  strike, 
and  they  differ  in  their  angles  of  dip.  The  three  cross  veins 
do  not  appear  to  be  parallel  with  themselves,  or  with  the  nor- 
mal veins,  either  in  strike  or  in  dip.  But  it  is  somewhat  re- 
markable that  five  of  them  are  gold  bearing ;  but  the  sixth, 
which  has  not  been  worked  by  the  proprietors  on  either  side 
of  the  dividing  line  is  supposed  to  be  barren.  The  cross  vein 
which  has  not  been  worked,  was  pointed  out  to  me  by  Mr. 
Camman.  If  the  characteristics  are  those  which  he  stated, 
it  is  to  be  numbered  among  the  veins  of  the  Hill.  Those 
characteristics  are  direction  and  dip,  the  further  consideration 
of  which  I  leave  for  the  present.  The  sixth  vein  which  I 
have  reckoned  as  distinct,  and  entitled  to  a  place  in  this 
group,  does  not  appear  at  the  surface — and  could  have  been 
cut  only  at  a  depth  of  sixty-five  or  seventy  feet ;  yet,  as  its 
course  and  direction  is  well  defined,  and  as  it  is  an  important 
rein,  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  believe  that  my  views  are  cor- 
rect respecting  it,  and  that  it  should  be  treated  as  a  distinct, 
and  not  as  a  subordinate  mass. 

§  157.  The  order  and  relations  in  which  they  stand  to  each 
10 


146  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVET. 

other  are  as  follows,  (see  plate  13) :  1.  Those  "regular  or  right 
running  veins  standing  behind  each  other,  viz.,  the  front, 
middle  and  back  veins,  or  1st,  2d  and  3d  veins,  reckoning 
from  west  to  east ;  2d  and  3d  cross  veins,  cutting  the  forma- 
tion in  three  different  directions,  not  having  among  them- 
selves, or  with  the  others,  the  slightest  parallelism.  The  re-  •  I 
lations  of  these  two  groups  are  exhibited  in  pi.  13.    The  dia-  1 

gram  referred  to  is  in  the  lower  left  corner  of  pi.  13,  and  the 
veins  are  numbered  1,  2,  3,  from  west  to  east ;  but  another 
vein,  in  front  of  JSTo.  1,  and  not  numbered,  is  supposed  to  be 
cut  in-a  shaft  represented  in  the  margin,  at  the  depth  of  one 
hundred  and  seventeen  feet. 

{1st.)  Front  Vein. — ^This  vein  crops  out  upon  the  dividing 
line,  traversing  the  hill  in  a  north  and  south  direction ;  but 
as  it  makes  in  easting,  and  is  not  strictly  parallel  with  this 
line,  it  makes  from  it,  in  the  direction  of  its  strike.  The 
strike  is  N.  10°  E.  It  will  be  observed  that  this  vein,  as  it 
lies  so  close  to  the  dividing  line,  has  no  vali^  upon  that  part 
of  the  property  which  is  known  as  the  Conrad  Hill.  It  ap- 
pears however  upon  the  Dodge  Hill,  five  hundred  feet  to  the 
north,  or  east  of  north.  This  vein  dips  in  the  ratio  of  one  to 
three,  or  moves  westward  one  foot  for  every  three  feet  per- 
pendicular descent.  It  is  from  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet 
thick  near  its  outcrop.  Considering  the  position  of  the  Ist 
vein,  I  deem  it  unnecessary  to  dwell  longer  upon  its  charac- 
teristics, than  to  state  in  brief,  that  it  has  been  worked  out  to 
the  levels  of  seventy  and  eighty  feet  at  the  south  end,  and 
that  it  has  been  productive  in  gold. 

§  158.  (2^.)  The  next  vein  in  order  js  the  first  cross  vein 
unnumbered  in  the  diagram.  It  was  pointed  out  to  me  by 
Mr.  Camman,  the  superintendent  of  the  works  just  put  in 
operation  by  a  Company  of  New  York  capitahsts.  Its  direc- 
tion is  north  east  and  south  west,  with  a  dip  exceeding  the 
other  veins  by  at  least  15°,  according  to  the  statement  of  the 
gentleman  referred  to.  (If  he  is  correct,)  there  can  be  no 
doubt  that  the  vein  is  really  distinct,  and  not  a  portion  of 
one  of  the  others  which  has  been  shifted  from  its  place.  It 
is  supposed  to  be  cut  at  the  bottom  of  the  engine  shaft ;  the 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   8UEVET.  147 

position,  direction  and  distance  may  be  seen  in  diagram  re- 
ferred to.  Its  wide  dejflection  from  a  north  and  south  line, 
will  carry  it  ratlier  east  of  the  Dodge  Hill,  or  across  its  east- 
ern slope,  and  through  the  low  grounds  south  west  of  Conrad 
Hill.  The  cutting  of  this  vein,  or  the  front  vein,  gave  rise  to 
a  powerful  discharge  of  water,  which  finally  resulted  in  drain- 
ing all  the  veins  to  a  level  with  the  bottom  shaft.  This  fact 
proves  that  the  veins  have  communications  by  water  courses ; 
even  the  tunnel  cut  many  years  since  at  the  base  of  the 
southern  slope  drained  both  Conrad  and  Dodge  Hill  to  its 
level;  the  water  fell  at  the  time,  in  Dodge  Hill,  fifteen  feet. 
This  vein  has  not  been  worked  by  any  of  the  parties  who 
have  leased  this  property.  It  may  prove  a  highly  important 
vein.  The  other  cross  veins  are  rich  in  gold.  Tlie  reason 
why  this  vein  has  remained  untouched  is,  that  it  has  been 
mistaken  for  the  1st  vein  No.  1 ;  and  as  all  the  shafts  but  one 
have  been  sunk  behind  it,  it  could  not  be  cut  by  them. 

§  159.  (Sd.)  The  middle  vein  appears  at  the  surface,  fifty 
feet  eastward  of  the  front  vein,  on  the  dividing  line.  This 
vein  runs  parallel  with  the  first.  I  am  inclined  to  believe 
that  it  is  parallel,  or  nearly  so,  both  in  its  strike  and  dip.  It 
has  been  worked  with  profit  on  both  sides  of  the  dividing 
line,  which  has  been  already  referred  to.  Pursuing  the 
coui'se  downwards  and  northwards,  it  will  not  fail  to  strike 
the  observer,  that  upon  the  south  side  of  Conrad  Hill,  as  well 
as  upon  its  crowning  part,  it  dips  beneath  the  dividing  line. 
It  is  cut  in  the  shaft  at  the  depth  of  about  eighty-two  feet. 
This  shaft  is  fifteen  feet  west  of  the  dividing  line.  In  the 
north  strike  of  this  vein,  it  recedes  to  the  eastward ;  so  that 
if  it  has  not  been  worked  out,  there  probably  remains  a 
quantity  of  ore  before  it  reaches  Dodge's  Hill,  where  it  may 
be  readily  traced,  and  I  believe  already  exposed  by  a  shaft. 
It  will  appear,  therefore,  that  so  far  as  Conrad  Hill  is^  con- 
cerned, this  vein  is  of  but  little  moment,  but  remains  a  good 
vein  on  the  w^est.  I  was  informed  that  good  ore  still  remain- 
ed standing  in  this  vein  in  the  direction  I  have  indicated ; 
and  as  very  slight  changes  of  dip  may  produce  an  important 
change  in  the  relations  of  certain  fixed  lines  and  points,  it  is 


148  ifOKTH-CABOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY- 

propel'  to  observe  in  this  place,  that  the  dip  of  this  and  its 
associated  veins  is  influenced,  to  a  certain  extent,  by  the 
form  and  slopes  of  the  hill ;  thus,  on  the  north  slope,  this  and 
the  other  veins  have  a  dip  nearly  north-west.  The  effect  of 
this  change  in  the  dip  is  to  give  to  the  east  side  a  greater  ex- 
tent of  vein.  The  same  change  occurs  also  upon  the  south 
slope ;  so  that  the  normal  dip  to  the  west  is  changed  to  the 
south-west.  This  change  of  dip  is  local,  but  it  is  not  without 
its  benefits.  The  west  dip,  if  there  is  a  true  west  dip,  is  con- 
fined to  the  crowning  part  of  the  Hill. 

It  would  seem  from  the  foregoing  facts,  that  this  part  of  the 
veins  of  the  hill  was  pushed  forward  to  the  west  at  the  time 
and  moment  when  it  was  raised  above  the  surrounding  plains 
by  a  force  which  may  have  been  applied  beneath.  As  far  as 
the  front  property  is  concerned,  it  receives  the  veins  upon 
the  top  of  the  hill  at  a  level  less  deep,  and  upon  the  sides  at  a 
deeper  level. 

§  160.  The  next  vein  which  I  shall  speak  of,  is  the  2d 
cross  vein.  Its  strike  is  ]^.  75°  E.  and  S.  Y5°  W.  It  may 
vary  from  this  statement  5°.  Seventy  degrees  eastward  is 
not  an  uncommon  direction.  Its  dip  is  about  S.  25°  E.  or  S. 
20°  E. ;  the  outcrop  is  limited,  and  hence  I  was  unable  to 
tietermine  those  facts  with  precision. 

This  vein  has  been  worked  out  on  its  western  range  to  the 
depth  of  ninety  feet,  and  upon  its  eastern  prolongation, 
about  eighty  feet.  The  linear  extent  is  about  one  hundred 
feet.  Its  average  width  is  about  two  feet.  Next  to  the 
Back  vein,  this  has  probably  been  the  richest  in  gold.  In  its 
north-eastward  prolongation,  it  passes  far  to  the  south  of 
Dodge's  Hill,  where  it  has  not  been  pursued.  It  should  ap- 
pear in  this  valley  north-east  of  Conrad  Hill. 

§  161.  The  Back  vein,  or  3d  vein,  is  the  most  remarkable 
of  the  veins  of  Conrad  Hill.  This  is  true,  both  as  it  respects 
tlie  amount  of  gold  it  carries  and  has  carried,  as  well  as  its 
thickness  and  amount  and  kind  of  matter  which  composes  it. 
Its  outcrop  is  209  feet  east  of  the  dividing  fine,  or  159  feet 
eeist  ot  tlie  middle  vein.  Its  angle  of  dip  is  less  than  that  of 
the  veins  already  spoken  of.     It  is  cut  in  the  Morehead  shaft 


NORTH-CAKOLINA    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  149 

at  the  depth  of  about  eighty  feet,  and  this  shaft  is  about  fifty 
feet  east  of  the  dividing  hne.  At  the  depth  of  eighty  feet, 
where  it  is  cut  by  this  shaft,  the  middle  vein  is  at  least  sixty- 
five  feet  in  advance,  where,  as  I  have  already  stated,  it  is  cut 
by  the  New  York  Company's  shaft,  fifteen  feet  west  of  the 
dividing  line  and  at  the  depth  of  about  eighty-two  feet. 
.  I  162.  At  the  depth  of  about  sixty  feet  it  sends  off  a  di- 
verging branch  which  has  been  regarded  as  the  middle  vein, 
and  it  is  supposed  that  at  this  depth  the  middle  and  back 
veins  come  together.  I  have  illustrated  my  own  views  of  the 
question  by  diagram  referrea  to.  It  is  evident  that  the  mid- 
dle vein  crops  out  fifty  feet  in  rear  of  the  front  vein,  and  that 
it  is  quite  flat  at  the  surface ;  and  farther,  that  it  moves  to 
the  w^st  in  the  ratio  I  have  already  stated.  This  fact,  there- 
fore, p.roves  that  the  vein  which  appears  to  join  the  back  vein 
at  the  depth  of  about  sixty  or  sixty-five  feet,  cannot  be  the 
middle  vein.  I  therefore  regard  the  so  called  middle  vein,  as 
a  branch  of  the  third.  Its  junction  is  still  fifty  or  sixty  feet 
east  of  the  line,  and  the  middle  vein  has  passed  (at  the  depth 
of  eighty-two  feet,)  fifteen  feet  west  of  the  same  line.  This 
branch  has  been  worked  out  to  about  the  same  extent  as  the 
front  veins. 

At  its  outcrop,  the  back  vein  is  about  fifteen  inches  thick ; 
as  it  descends,  it  soon  becomes  thicker,  and  at  the  depth  of 
forty  or  fifty  feet  is  about  five  feet  thick.  The  thickness  is 
not  however  uniform,  still  it  continues  to  give  an  increased 
amount  of  matter ;  and  when  at  the  depth  of  between  sixty 
and  seventy  feet,  it  is  from  ten  to  eighteen  feet  thick.  Tb.e 
vein  is  quartz  above,  but  at  fifty  feet  carbonate  of  iron — car- 
rying sulphuret  of  copper  and  iron,  comes  in,  and  finally,  at 
the  ninety  foot  level,  as  it  is  called,  it  exists  in  great  force, 
being  at  least  four  feet  thick  next  to  the  foot  wall,  which  car- 
ries gold.  This  part  of  the  vein  has  always  been  rich  in  gold, 
but  being  overlaid  with  so  thick  a  mass  of  quartz,  which  is 
intermixed  also  with  crushed  slates,  it  is  more  expensive 
to  mine  it  at  this  depth,  and  on  this  account,  than  above  and 
nearer  the  outcrop.     The  part  of  the  vein  next  the  hanging 


150  NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUKVET. 

wall,  consisting  of  layers  of  quartz  and  crushed  slates,  con- 
tains gold ;  but  is  poor,  though  rich  pockets  are  found. 

The  rich  part  of  this  vein  is  separated  from  the  poorer  by 
a  line  of  de_markation,  and  at  certain  points,  appears  almost 
as  distinct  as  if  it  were  a  vein  separated  from  the  overlying 
mass.  This  part  is  four  feet  thick.  Its  matrix  is  quartz  and 
carbonate  of  iron,  interspersed  with  sulphuret  of  copper  and 
iron,  the  former  of  which  is  far  the  most  abundant. 

Between  that  which  is  called  the  ninety-foot  level  and  the 
dividing  line  of  the  two  properties,  the  depth  of  ore  which 
remains  in  situ,  is  variable.  At  the  commencement  of  the 
south  tunnel  in  the  sloping  shaft,  the  msLss  is  some  twenty- 
five  feet  deeper  than  at  any  point  farther  south.  Here  it  is 
over  one  hundred  feet.  At  the  extreme  south  end  of  the  gal- 
lery of  the  ninety-foot  level,  it  approaches  this  line,  both 
from  the  direction  of  the  workings  and  the  direction  of  the 
vein ;  still,  at  this  point,  it  is  twenty  feet  to  the  line,  measur- 
ed horizontally ;  for,  on  measuring  from  the  hole  which  was 
pointed  out  as  under  the  line,  and  measuring  along  a  tunnel 
above,  which  terminates  in  the  shaft  fifteen  feet  on  the  west 
side  of  the  line,  I  found  it  to  be  thirty-five  feet,  which  makes 
this  hole  about  twenty-six  feet  east  of  the  dividing  line. 
This  prism  of  ore,  therefore,  is  an  important  part  of  the  min- 
ing property  situated  upon  the  east  side  of  the  dividing  line. 
To  understand  the  facts  relating  to  the  question,  it  is  impor- 
tant to  consider  that  the  vein  dips  considerably,  and  recedes 
from  the  dividing  line  northwardly.  So,  as  the  dip  north  on 
the  line  of  strike,  turns  northward,  or  becomes  nearly  north- 
west, it  will  not  pass  this  line  so  soon  as  it  would,  provided 
its  dip  was  due  west.  Now  a  shaft  sunk  upon  the  line  op- 
posite or  west  of  the  sloping  shaft,  would  not  cut  this  vein  at 
a  lower  level  than  150  feet.  There  remains,  then,  probably 
a  prism  of  ore  100  feet  deep  at  this  point,  and  55  or  60  feet 
near  the  southern  termination  of  the  tunnel  of  the  ninety-foot 
level.  This  vein,  or  that  portion  of  it  which  is  rich,  is  four 
feet  thick.  Consisting  as  it  does  of  carbonate  of  iron,  the 
blasts  which  are  designed  to  remove  ore  are  not  so  efifective 
as  in  quartz  alone,  but  it  is  drilled  with  less  labor.     Being 


NOETH-CAKOLmA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  151 

jointed,  it  splits  off  from  the  mass  with  greater  ease,  or  it 
blows  out,  as  the  miners  call  the  effect  in  such  cases.  The 
whole  width  of  the  vein  at  the  ninety-foot  level,  is  at  least 
eighteen  feet,  and  carries  some  gold  throughout  the  mass. 
Pockets  of  rich  places  are  interspei-sed  through  it.  This 
great  mass  of  ore  still  pursues  its  way  downward,  and  at  the 
deep  shaft,  fifteen  feet  west  of  the  line,  it  will  probably  be 
cut  at  the  depth  of  130  feet. 

§  163.  The  last  vein  which  remains  to  be  noticed  in  this 
report,  comes  in  at  or  near  the  sixty-foot  level.  I  could  not, 
however,  determine  the  exact  point  where  it  was  first  ob- 
served. Different  views  might  probably  be  entertained  res- 
pecting this  vein.  Taking  all  the  facts  into  consideration,  I 
am  disposed  to  regard  it  as  a  cross  vein  entirely  distinct  from 
any  of  the  preceding.  It  has  been  regarded  as  one  already 
described  by  some,  and  which  turns  back  upon  its  former 
course  ;  but  this  is  probably  an  incorrect  view ;  for  the  cross 
vein  with  which  it  is  compared  dips  directly  south,  or  in  a 
contrary  direction.  It  seems,  therefore,  to  be  of  itself  a  vein 
derived  from  some  prolific  source,  which  gave  origin  to  the 
veins  traversing  Conrad  Hill.  This  vein  was  cut  in  the  tun- 
nel shown  in  the  diagram  in  the  right  corner  of  plate  13. 
a.  a.  represents  the  course  it  would  take  if  prolonged  upwards. 
The  vein,  however,  is  in  the  lower  corner  of  the  tunnel,  and 
does  not  appear  to  be  of  any  account  above  it ;  it  is  a  vein 
which  does  not  make  an  outcrop  upon  the  surface. 

§  164.  I  should  remark  here  that  this  vein  does  not  dip  to- 
wards the  dividing  lino.  It  however  swings  around  slightly 
westward  in  that  direction.  Its  strike  is  nearly  east  and  west, 
its  dip  south,  and  its  width  about  four  feet.  Eastward,  it 
passes  under  props  which  are  placed  to  support  the  roof 
w'here  the  back  vein  has  been  removed.  Upon  this  line,  ex- 
tending from  near  the  hole,  as  it  is  called,  but  to  the  east  of 
it,  I  measured  forty-two  feet  to  the  point  where  it  passes  be- 
neath the  props.  It  extends  some  twenty  feet  farther  west, 
beyond  the  west  point  where  I  measured.  Its  present  acces- 
sible portion  is  about  sixty-two  feet.  But  if  we  may  judge  from 
analogy,  the  vein  is  prolonged  both  eastward  and  westward. 


152  NORTH-OAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

This  vein  is  probably  the  richest  vein  which  has  been  hith- 
erto explored  upon  Conrad  Hill.  This  fact  I  was  able  to  test 
and  prove  from  the  ore  which  I  took  from  the  vein.  I  did 
not  determine  the  amount  of  gold  .which  it  yields  per  bushel, 
but  the  results  obtained  by  panning,  and  the  fact  that  visible 
grains  of  gold  are  common  in  the  mass,  was,  to  me,  satisfac- 
tory evidence  of  its  richness. 

The  foregoing  statements  comprise  the  most  important 
facts  in  my  pssession  relative  to  the  mining  property  of  Con- 
rad Hill  proper.  I  have  but  little  information  respecting  the 
Dodge  Hill,  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Conrad  Hill.  The 
veins,  or  at  least  a  part  of  them,  appear  there,  and  carry 
gold.  The  opinion  is  that  they  are  not  so  rich  as  Conrad 
Hill ;  and  still  it  would  be  rather  an  anomaly  in  mining,  if 
veins  which  are  so  rich  should  become  too  poor  to  work  in  so 
short  a  distance.  The  fact  is  common  in  North-Carolina,  that 
veins  continue  frequently  a  mile,  and  carry  sufficient  metal 
to  pay  for  working  the  whole  distance.  It  will  appear  from 
the  foregoing  facts  that  the  two  front  veins  have  been  work- 
ed by  the  owners  and  leasers  of  the  property  situated  upon 
the  west  side  of  the  dividing  line  ;  and  that  the  middle  and 
back  veins  have-  been  worked  upon  the  Morehead  or  Conrad 
Hill  side,  together  with  all  the  cross  veins  except  the  first, 
which  has  not  been  worked  by  either  party.  The  back  vein 
has  not  been  reached  by  the  shafts  upon  the  west  side  of  the 
dividing  line. 

§  165.  The  main  rock  of  Conrad  Hill  is  Talcose  slate.  Tlie 
rocks  which  are  trappean,  and  which  are  commonly  known  as 
ne^TO  heads,  do  not  appear  in  either  of  the  hills ;  but  I  believe 
that  both  upon  east  and  west  sides,  the  country  is  traversed 
by  wide  belts  of  trap.  The  lamina  of  the  slate  are  not  par- 
allel with  the  dip  and  strike  of  the  veins.  The  intersecting 
quartz  bands  are  therefore  to  be  regarded  as  true  veins.  The 
plan  upon  which  I  would  recommend  the  working  of  Conrad 
Hill,  is  to  arrange  the  means  for  taking  the  ore  efficiently  out 
of  the  deep  cross  vein,  and  to  work  out  also  the  rich  four  foot 
stratum  of  the  back  vein  which  lies  in  proximity  to  the  cross 
vein.    These  two  veins  are  capable  of  furnishing  a  large 


NOBTH-CAEOLINA    GEOLOGICAL   SUKVEY. 


153 


amount  of  ore.  In  addition  to  this,  I  would  recommend  the 
sinking  of  a  deep  shaft  about  two  hundred  feet  to  the  north 
west,  which  must  necessarily  cut  the  three  regular  veins. 
This  shaft  should  be  between  Conrad  and  Dodge's  Hill.  It 
will  not  be  difficult  to  find  the  several  cross  veins  also,  which 
crop  out  upon  the  surface.  They  have  proved  rich,  I  believe, 
without  exception. 

Plate  13  shows  the  relations  of  those  veins  which  appear  at 
the  surface ;  the  three  long  parallel  veins  dip  westward  and 
north  westward ;  1,  2,  3,  are  the  right  running  veins,  and  4 
and  5  cross  veins ;  a  rich  cross  vein  which  does  not  reach  the 
surface,  is  exposed  and  cut  by  a  tunnel  driven  east  and  west 
at  the  depth  of  sixty  feet ;  it  was  made  for  the  purpose  of 
exposing  more  effectually  the  veins  b.  b.  The  right  running- 
veins  extend  across  Dodge  Hill,  about  five  hundred  feet  to 
the  north  east  of  the  base  of  Conrad  Hill, 

The  number  of  veins  which  cross  Conrad  Hill  is  worthy  of 
note.  The  unfortunate  ownership  being  in  two  properties, 
interferes  with  the  most  profitable  pursuit  of  these  rich  veins. 
As  far  as  the  veins  have  been  taken  out,  there  are  no  indi- 
cations that  they  are  poorer  than  they  were  near  the  surface. 
The  yield  of  the  lowest  portion  of  the  vein,  No.  1,  was  one 
dollar  per  bushel,  but  the  variations  in  the  product  have  oc- 
curred at  different  depths,  and  different  parts  of  the  same 
lode.  There  remains,  unquestionably,  a  large  quantity  of 
metal  below,  for  it  is  to  be  recollected  that  a  very  small 
quantity  only  of  ore  has  been  taken  out  below  one  hundred 
feet.  At  this  depth  the  veins  become  more  cupriferous,  and 
the  probability  is,  that  in  the  future,  instead  of  being  worked 
for  gold,  the  westerly  and  deepest  veins  will  be  worked  for 
copper ;  but  still,  above  the  points  where  the  copper  pyrites 
begin  to  come,  there  are  large  prisms  of  auriferous  veins 
standing;  and  some  of  the  veins  do  not,  at  the  depths  ex- 
plored, contain  any  pyrites,  the  vein  stone  being  quartz  in- 
termixed with  some  carbonate  of  iron.  This  is  the  case  with 
the  cross  vein  exposed  by  the  tunnel.  It  is  probable,  there- 
fore, that  a  part  of  the  veins  will  continue  to  carry  gold, 
while  a  part,  especially  the  front  veins,  will  ultimately  carry 


154  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

1 
1 

) 

copper  pyrites.  The  veins  wliicli  belong  to  Conrad  Hill  pro- 
per, have  not  been  worked  out  extensively  to  the  north  east, 
or  in  the  direction  of  Dodge  Hill.  There  remains,  therefore, 
belonging  to  this  property,  ample  space  for  the  prosecution 
of  the  most  productive  veins. 

I  have  spoken  of  this  mine  rather  as  a  property  than  as  a 
combination  of  geological  facts  of  great  interest.  "We  find, 
in  a  very  limited  space,  six  distinct  veins ;  and  one  of  them 
branching  or  forking  about  sixty  feet  below  the  surface,  and 
another  rich  vein,  three-and-a-half  feet  wide,  coming  in  at 
the  same  depth,  which  does  not  reach  the  surface.  This  vein 
shows  gold  at  many  points  where  it  is  exposed.  Tlie  quartz 
is  opaque,  and  stained  brown,  and  is  intermixed  with  decom- 
posed and  decomposing  sulphuret  of  iron.  The  vein  stone  of 
all  the  depositories  is  shattered  and  angular,  and  often  in  ra- 
ther small  wedge  form  pieces. 


CHAPTEK  XXHI. 

depositories  of  the  Metals  continued. — Auriferous  Veins. — « 
Oold  Hill  Gold  Mine. 

§  166.  The  history  of  the  Gold  Hill  gold  mine,  if  it  could 
be  gathered  up  and  compiled  from  the  recollections  of  the 
many  individuals  who  have  been  interested  in  its  develop- 
ment, would  show  the  importance  of  perseverance  under  dis- 
couraging prospects — sufiiciently  so,  it  is  believed,  to  have  in- 
duced many  operators  to  have  abandoned  the  mine  at  an  early 
day.  But  owing  to  the  persevering  efforts  of  Messrs.  Holmes 
and  the  Messrs.  Mauney,  and  the  late  Captain  Peters,  it  ha^ 
proved  one  of  the  rich  mines  of  the  State,  and  it  is  believed  it 


NOKTH-CABOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


155 


is  an  established  mine^  and  fully  proved  by  its  depth  and  the 
length  of  vein  along  which  the  workings  have  been  carried. 

§  167.  It  is  only  fourteen  years  since  mining  began  at 
Gold  Hill.  In  the  progress  of  the  operations  required  in  the 
business,  and  in  consequence  of  the  direction  of  the  attention 
of  the  operators  to  the  character  of  the  country,  many  new 
discoveries  have  been  made  since  the  first  surface-mine  was 
worked  on  the  land  of  Andrew  Troutman,  in  1842.  The 
first  veins  discovered  were  upon  the  land  of  John  Troutman. 
By  this  discovery,  $400,000  were  obtained,  the  deepes^haft 
reaching  only  to  the  depth  of  100  feet. 

The  Honeycut  vein  was  discovered  in  the  same  year.  This 
mine  yielded  $101,665. 

The  next  year,  (1854),  the  mine  known  as  the  Earnhardt 
was  discovered  on  the  land  of  George  Heilick.  Its  relatioEPs 
are  shown  upon  plate  9,  eastern  vein,  upon  which  the  shafts, 
old  shaft  Earnhardt  and  Louder  &  Co. ;  it  is  the  east  vein. 

The  most  productive  vein  remained  to  be  discovered — that 
of  the  Earnhardt  vein — which  took  place  in  one  month  after  that 
of  the  Earnhardt.  It  is  noted  on  the  map  by  the  Earnhardt 
and  Handolph  shafts,  etc.,  which  show  its  relative  position. 

Between  the  Earnhardt  and  the  Earnhardt,  there  is  still  an- 
other, called  the  middle  vein,  which  has  never  been  regarded 
as  a  rich  vein. 

The  numerous  veins  of  Gold  Hill  are  an  illustration  of  the 
fact,  that  veins  and  mineral  repositories  occur  in  districts^ 
and  that  it  would  be  rather  an  anomaly  to  find  one  vein  by 
itself- — it  would  be  an  exception  to  a  common  rule.  The 
veins  of  Gold  Hill  have  not  all  proved  remunerative,  but  the 
aggregate  production  of  gold  from  all  the  veins  up  to  the 
present  time,  1856,  has  been  $2,000,000.* 

§  168.  Gold  Hill  is  on  the  southern  border  of  Rowan  coun- 
ty, adjoining  Cabarrus  county.  It  is  fourteen  miles  south 
from  Salisbury.  It  is  situated  upon  a  narrow  ridge,  prolong- 
ed in  a  north-eastwardly  and  south-westwardly  direction.  It 
is  only  one  mile  east  of  the  granite  belt  upon  which  Salisbury 


*  I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Ephraim  MauDej  and  Mr.  Moses  Holmes  for  much  valuable 
iaformation  in  relation  to  this  mine. 


156  NORTH-CAROLINA    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

is  situated.  The  formation  is  slate,  dipping  rather  westerly, 
and  with  a  strike  of  E".  30°  E.  The  angle  of  dip  is  abont 
80°.  The  strata  are  not  disturbed  by  eruptive  or  intrusive 
rocks.  It  is  therefore  in  a  measure  free  from  accidents  aris- 
ing from  faults  and  dislocations.  The  principal  veins  of  the 
hill  pursue  a  direct  course,  scarcely  deviating  at  any  point 
from  their  general  direction.  Tliere  is,  too,  a  regularity  in 
the  descent,  by  which  the  miner  may  strike  the  vein  at  those 
points  which  he  desires  with  great  certainty.  The  principal 
variAon  is  that  of  thickness,  a  variation  which  is,  however, 
met  with  in  all  veins ;  another  which  may  be  alluded  to,  and 
which  will  be  more  particularly  described  hereafter,  is  that 
of  richness,  which  is  somewhat  regular  in  its  variations. 

§  169.  The  veins  of  Gold  Hill  belong  exclusively  to  a  slate 
which  has  usually  been  regarded  as  a  Talcose  slate.  Deep 
in  the  shafts  it  is  uniformly  blue,  while  at  the  surface  it  is 
changed  into  a  soft  reddish  earthy  mass,  except  that  which 
bounds  the  Earnhardt  vein.  This  is  blue,  rather  fine,  and 
maintains  its  integrity  much  longer  when  exposed  to  the 
weather  than  most  of  it  upon  the  hill. 

All  the  slate  however  should  be  considered  as  clay  slate, 
differing  scarcely,  if  at  all,  from  the  clay  slate  towards  the 
Yadkin,  or  which  is  so  common  in  Stanly  county.  It  occu- 
pies, I  believe,  the  same  position,  and  is  the  same  geologically. 

At  Gold  Hill  the  strike  is  K  30°  E.,  and  the  dip  north 
west  at  an  angle  of  80°.  To  the  south  eastward,  or  toward 
the  Yadkin,  it  changes  to  a  south  east  dip ;  but  in  about  two 
miles  in  this  direction,  the  breciated  conglomerate  is  en- 
countered ;  after  which,  the  rock  which  succeeds  is  clay  slate 
again.    . 

The  veins  which  carry  gold  are  composed  of  quartz  and 
quartziferous  slate,  and  the  sulphurets  of  iron  and  copper. 
Of  these  vein  stones,  the  sulphuret  of  iron  is  the  richest ;  the 
gold  attaches  itself  to  this  mineral  more  freely  than  to  the 
sulphuret  of  copper.  It  is  an  illustration  of  a  fact  which  has 
not  been  sufficiently  attended  to  in  other  cases.  For  exam- 
ple, in  a  mixture  of  galena,  blende  and  the  pyrites,  the 
silver  will  be  found  in  combination  with  the  first,  perhaps  not 


PL  10 


Ir- 


liOixgitiLctinaL  Section  of  the"West  Tern. . 


Lith  of  J.Murraj^. 


NOBTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


157 


exclusively,  but  mainly ;  the  blende  will  carry  tlie  least,  and 
probably  not  any. 

The  vein  which  represents  the  series  belonging  to  Gold 
Hill,  is  the  Earnhardt.  It  is  the  only  one  which  is  now  worked, 
or  has  been  worked  since  the  survey  began,  and  hence  the 
only  one  which  I  have  been  able  to  examine.  The  vein  stone 
is  principally  a  combination  of  iron  and  copper  pyrites  inter- 
mixed with  seams  and  masses  of  quartz.  In  these  minerals 
gold  is  mechanically  mixed ;  and  it  is  so  fine,  that  even  when 
rich,  it  requires  great  care  and  attention  in  grinding  and  pan- 
ning to  find  it.  But  surfaces  sometimes  show  gold,  when 
the}^  have  been  rubbed  in  the  mine  against  each  other.  The 
vein  may  be  said  to  be  worked  to  about  four  hundred  and 
ten  feet  in  depth.  Its  thickness  V9,ries  from  six  inches  to  four 
feet,  and  in  one  part  of  the  vein  it  is  7  feet. 

§  170  Having  stated  very  generally  some  of  the  leading- 
facts  relative  to  this  vein,  it  is  important  to  notice  the  manner 
in  which  the  mineral  matter,  particularly  the  gold,  is  dis- 
tributed. 

As  a  vein,  oi'  considered  in  mass,  it  may  be  divided  into 
sections  which  are  arranged  rather  obliquely  with  respect  to 
the  walls.  The  vein  does  not  form  a  single  sheet  which  rests 
Uniformly  against,  or  between  the  walls,  but  is  divided  into 
many  lenticular  segments,  which,  as  it  were,  overlap  each 
other  at  their  thin  edges ;  the  lower  segment  has  its  upper 
edge  behind  and  against  the  wall,  and  its  lower  edge  over 
the  edge  of  the  next  segment  beneath.  Plate  10,  diagram 
on  the  left,  shows  a  transverse  section  of  the  vein,  though  the 
lenticular  masses  are  not  so  distinctly  connected  as  here  rep- 
resented. An  arrangement  of  this  kind  prevails  in  most  of 
the  good  mines  of  this  State. 

§  171.  I  have  stated  the  general  arrangement  of  the  sub- 
ordinate masses  composed  of  segments  as  they  are  arranged ; 
it  now  remains  to  show  the  distribution  of  the  gold,  without 
veference  to  these  subordinate  segments. 

For  the  purpose  of  illustrating  this  part  of  the  subject,  1 
bave  prepared  plate  10.  It  is  derived  from  the  examination 
conducted  by  the  survey,  and  also  from  tlie  captains  of  the 


158  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUKVET. 

mines,  who  have  been  for  many  years  engaged  in  directing 
the  nndergronnd  operations.  The  plate,  without  explana- 
tion, shows  the  principal  facts.  Tlie  shafts  in  the  order  in 
which  they  have  been  sunk,  begin  upon  the  right,  and  have 
been  sunk  the  deepest.  In  order  to  understand  the  diagram, 
the  reader  must  suppose  himself  placed  upon  the  west  or 
east  side  of  a  sheet  of  ore,  with  the  wall  removed,  and  as  he 
looks,  he  will  see  the  vein  before  him  in  the  direction  of  its 
strike ;  it  presents,  therefore,  a  longitudinal  vein  with  the 
vein  restored,  and  the  good  and  poor  parts  standing  in  the 
order  in  which  they  were  found  when  the  vein  was  stoped 
but,  or  taken  down.  Beginning  on  the  right,  there  is  rep- 
resented a  belt  of  good  ore  extending  obliquely  to  the  right, 
and  connecting  itself  with  another  good  belt  towards  the  bot- 
tom, and  which  extends  to  the  depth  of  three  hundred  and 
ninety  feet ;  and  between  each,  and  in  the  fork,  there  is  a 
triangular  mass  of  poor  ore.  It  is  proper  to  state  here,  that 
the  poor  and  good  ores  are  relative  terms  ;  the  gold  of  course 
is  not  absent,  but  much  less,  and  in  some  of  the  belts  thus 
marked,  ^fter  the  expenses  of  mining  and  extraction  of  metal 
were  paid,  the  profits  remaining  were  very  small.  The  lines 
of  demarkation,  however,  are  very  clearly  defined,  and  can 
be.  determined  at  once  by  the  miner;  the  transition  from 
good  to  poor  is  rather  abrupt  than  gradual.  The  miner's 
phrase  with  respect  to  these  rich  and  poor  belts,  is  rich  and 
poor  pocTcets. 

Towards  the  north  east  the  vein  seems  to  be  all  poor,  it 
continues  north  east,  but,  for  some  reason,  it  has  not  been 
thoroughly  tested ;  but  the  explorations  which  have  been 
made  are  supposed  to  indicate  a  poor  vein  throughout  in  this 
direction. 

Towards  the  southwest,  however,  the  shoots,  belts  or  pock- 
ets of  good  ore  are  decided,  and  the  best  pocket  ever  open- 
ed is  the  Randolph,  which  is  penetrated  by  the  Randolph 
shaft  farthest  to  the  south  west.  This  pocket  is  now  being 
taken  out.  It  expands  downwards,  and  at  the  three  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  level  it  is  extending  both  ways,  and  will,  it  is 
supposed,  become  connected  with  the  adjacent  pocket  on  the 


NOETH-CABOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SITRVET.  169 

right.  The  ore  which  was  used  in  1854-'55  was  regarded  as 
poor  ore.  All  of  the  sheet  of  ore  represented  and  marked  as 
good  and  poor  ore  has  been  taken  out,  on  the  right  to  the 
depth  of  four  hundred  and  ten  feet,  and  on  the  left  in  the 
JRandolph  pocket,  to  the  depth  only  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty  feet.  There  is,  therefore,  a  sheet  of  ore  standing,  from 
which  the  water  is  drained,  of  about  eighty  feet  in  depth  and 
two  hundred  and  fifty  in  length.  The  diagram  is  made  on  a 
scale  of  eighty  feet  to  the  inch ;  and  the  part  exposed  and 
represented  as  worked  out,  includes  all  the  stoping  and  ex- 
ploration which  have  been  made  in  this  vein  since  it  was  first 
discovered.  In  length,  this  extends  about  five  hundred  and 
sixty  feet.  This  is  but  a  limited  extent  compared  with  other 
veins  in  this  vicinity,  or  in  the  slate  district.  In  the  prolon- 
gation of  the  pockets  downwards,  this  expansion  is  indicative 
of  a  union  of  all  of  them  at  no  great  depth.  It  is  useless  to 
speculate  upon  the  probability  of  an  increased  richness  should 
a  union  take  place.  How  far,  too,  the  vein  may  be  expected 
to  continue  is  not  determinable ;  and  hence,  useless  also  to 
express  an  opinion ;  only,  a  vein  so  well  defined  and  regular 
is  usually  prolonged  much  farther. 

DiflPerent  opinions  prevail  upon  the  question  of  the  con- 
tinuance of  metal  below;  especially  with  respect  to  the  dimi- 
nution of  or  increase  of  gold.  This  vein  has  been  exposed 
to  a  greater  depth  than  any  other  mine  in  the  State ;  but  its 
workings  are  shallow,  compared  with  many  mines  in  other 
countries.  There  is^  however,  no  diminution  in  the  amount 
of  gold  obtained  as  yet  at  the  bottom,  compared  with  the 
more  superficial  parts.  When  the  lithological  characters  of 
the  poor  and  rich  pockets  are  compared,  the  differences  are 
scarcely  perceptible.  The  mineral  is  in  each  case  a  sulphu- 
ret,  and  intermixed  in  the  same  proportion  with  flint  or 
quartz.  To  the  eye  therefore,  if  only  inspected  in  the  gen- 
eral, no  difference  of  structure  or  composition  will  be  ob- 
served. This  appears  difficult  to  account  for  on  the  common 
views  which  are  entertained  with  respect  to  the  mode  in 
which  vein  fissures  are  filled.  If  we  adopt  the  view  that  they 
may  have  been  filled  by  gasseous  emanations,  the  difficulties 


160  NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

in  tlie  way  of  understanding  the  mode  seem  to  be  less  than 
if  it  is  supposed  the  fissnre  was  filled. by  the  eruptive  mode, 
and  in  a  mass,  and  in  a  state  of  incandescence.  There  are 
apparent  objections  to  the  latter  theory  \  there  is,  for  instance, 
no  appearance  of  a  change  upon  the  walls  denoting  an  igni-- 
tion  of  the  vein  materials.  How  much  weight  should  be 
given  to  a  negative,  is  impossible  to  say. 

§  1Y2.  The  machinery  employed  at  Gold  Hill  for  separat- 
ing gold,  consists,  first,  of  the  Chilian  mill  for  crushing  and 
grinding  after  being  broken  by  hammers,  the  Tyrolese  bowls, 
the  Burke  rockers,  and  the  Drag  mill.  Amalgamation  is  al- 
ways resorted  to,  though  it  has  been  frequently  suggested 
that  the  ore  is  sufiiciently  rich  to  be  reduced  in  the  furnace. 

The  work  for  a  Chilian  mill  of  this  ore  is  seventy  bushels 
per  day ;  and  our  mills  run  for  twenty- four  hours,  with  one 
or  two  short  interruptions.  They  are  all  moved  by  steam 
power,  and  all  the  water  used  in  the  mills  is  pumped  from 
the  mine.  The  Burke  rocker  is  the  principal  and  best  saving 
machine  employed.  The  Drag  mill  is  also  a  good  machine, 
is  cheap,  and  easily  kept  in  repair.  On  inspecting  these 
opeiations  when  going  on,  it  is  impossible  to  resist  the  con- 
clusion that  touch  of  the  gold  is  wasted  along  with  the  mer- 
cury. I  believe  this  is  admitted  by  the  proprietors,  and  yet 
it  is  allowed  to  go  on  day  after  day,  and  still  they  show  some 
good  sense  \  the  amount  of  gold  which  is  obtained  by  the 
methods  now  in  use  is  very  respectable  ;  and  if  not  wholly 
satisfactory  as  to  method,  the  determination  seems  to  be  to 
keep  the  wlieels  in  motion  and  save  what  they  can,  instead 
of  stopping  and  changing,  for  the  purpose  of  trying  all  the 
new  proposed  methods  which  are  continually  thrust  upon 
their  notice  by  l^ew  York  machinists,  who  know  nothing 
practically  about  the  matter.  I  say  there  is  a  fund  of  good 
and  practical  common  sense  in  the  methods  now  in  use ;  they 
do  well  by  their  use,  and  hence  they  have  succeeded  in  ma- 
king money,  when  many  of  their  neighbors,  by  changing 
their  apparatus  and  adopting  the  untried  or  cheating  coYi- 
eems,  which  were  hatched  by  mere  mechanics,  have  lo^t 
money. 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL,   SURVEY,  161 

§  173.  The  only  change  for  the  better  which  can  be 
adopted  at  Gold  Hill,  for  the  separation  of  gold,  is  by  smelt- 
ing. The  Chilian  mill  has  a  sliding  or  slipping  motion  as  it 
turns  on  its  short  axle,  which  flattens  the  particles  of  gold. 
A  machine  which  will  divide  without  flattening,  is  the  deside- 
ratum in  all  mechanical  methods.  The  consequence  of  the 
thin  condition  of  a  particle  of  gold,  is  to  give  it  buoyancy  in 
the  liquid,  which  is  of  course  charged  more  or  less  with  earth 
or  clay.  But  flat  gold,  where  it  approaches  gold  leaf,  con- 
denses upon  its  surface  the  air  diffused  in  the  liquid ;  and 
hence,  although  the  heaviest  of  substances  is  often  found  ab- 
solutely floating,  especially  where  there  is  a  gyratory  motion, 
or  much  motion  of  any  kind  in  the  liquid.  For  example,  it 
is  difiicult  in  a  tub  furnished  with  stirrers,  and  which  of  course 
impart  a  circular  motion  to  the  water,  to  move  them  slow 
enough  to  prevent  the  passing  ofl"  of  the  gold^  and  at  the 
same  time  keep  the  dirt  from  caking  at  the  bottom.  If  the 
latter  is  kept  evenly  diffused  through  the  liquid,  the  gold 
will  pass  ofl";  if  the  motion  is  slower,  it  will  subside  at  the 
bottom,  and  the  gold  will  have  no  opportunity  to  come  in 
contact  with  the  mercurj^  So  with  respect  to  the  Chilian 
mill;  a  certain  rapidity  of  motion  must  be  obtained.  If  the 
stones  make  two  many  revolutions  in  a  minute,  the  gold 
floats  away  and  does  not  come  in  contact  with  the  mercury 
in  the  channel.  The  movement  for  all  kinds  of  ore  is  within 
a  limited  range ;  they  should  make  from  seven  to  ten  turns 
in  a  minute ;  some  ores  require  seven,  others  nine,  and  it  is 
very  rare  that  ten  can  be  made  without  a  loss  both  of  gold 
and  mercury. 

§  1T4.  Tlie  force  employed  at  Gold  Hill,  for  working  the 
Earnhart  vein,  consists  of  sixty-six  miners  paid  by  the  month, 
and  thirty-nine  negroes  hired  by  the  year.  The  day  of 
twenty -four  hours  is  divided  into  three  shifts  of  eight  hours 
each,  for  underground  work.  Tlie  expenses  per  month  for 
the  whole  year  amount  to  four  thousand  and  thirty-eight  dol- 
lars and  forty-five  cents,  ($4:,038  45.)  In  the  expenses  for 
the  year  (1854),  f.ve  hundred  and  ninety-two  dollars  were  for 
construction.  The  average  mining  expenses,  leaving  out  the 
11 


^• 


'M 


162  NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   SUKVEY. 

item  for  construction,  amount  to  three  thousand  four  hundred 
and  forty-five  dollars  and  seventy  cents,  (|3,44:5  70.)  Hence, 
for  the  year,  the  mining  expenses  amount  to  about  forty-one 
thousand  three  hundred  and  forty-eight  dollars  and  forty 
cents,  ($41,348  40.)  This  includes  the  negro  hire  for  the 
year,  which  amounted  to  four  thousand  one  hundred  and 
twenty-four  dollars  and  thirty  cents,  ($4,124  30.) 
^  §  1T5.  The  amount  of  gold  obtained  in  1854,  in  the  follow- 

ing months,  as  derived  from  the  books  of  the  company,  was  as 
follows : 

December  and  January, $  16,697  66 

February  and  March, 13,514:  75 

April  and  May,   .• 13,379  23 

June  and  July,    11,014  95 

August,  7,000  00 

September  and  October,   7,615  05 

November  and  December,    9,881  96 

1855.   January,   10,625  16 

February,   3,386  76 

March,  11,280  92 

April, 13,696  81 

May,  11,642  61 

June,   7,051  08 

Gold  obtained  in  13  months,    $  136,636  76 

Expenses,    60,331  07 

$  76,305  69 

Expenses  for  the  following  months  in  1854-55  : 

1854.  October $    2,857  16 

Novembei ,    4,356  07 

December,    4,406  90 

1855.  January,   4,692  26 

February, 4,076  77 

March,  4,245  83 

April,  6,784  00 

May, 4,384  01 

June, 3,430  13 

July, 2,578  76 

August 4,736  54 

September 3,653  61 

October,    2,269  69 

November,  2,145  04 

December, 3,778  30 

Expedses  in  15  months,   I  60,351  07 


NORTH-CAJiOLmA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  163 

By  adding  to  the  foregoing  the  expenses  of  four  months, 
$16,084,  the  amount  which  would  be  expended  in  nineteen 
months  would  be  $76,429.  Total  expenses  incurred  for  nine- 
teen months,  thus : 

Gold  obtained,  $  136,636  76 

Expenses  incurred,  76,429  00 


Remaining  over  and  above  expenses, $    60,207  76 

§  176.  But  it  should  be  stated  that  during  the  time  which 
includes  the  foregoing  record,  only  the  ore  taken  from  the 
poor  pockets  was  worked ;  and  it  is  only  since  January  last, 
(1856,)  that  the  ore  has  been  taken  from  the  rich  Randolph 
pocket.  To  ascertain  what  the  rich  ores  would  yield,  the 
mills  were  put  in  order,  and  they  were  allowed  to  use  the 
richest  ores  for  one  day ;  which  gave  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
for  the  time.  But  specimens  were  taken  out  of  the  office 
and  ground  up  and  turned  into  gold,  a  mercantile  transac- 
tion, and  worthy  of  the  President.  It  results  in  the  loss  of 
very  fine  specimens  for  exhibition.  I  have  entered  into  a 
more  specific  statement  of  the  mine  and  the  afi'airs  of  this 
Company,  because  it  is  not  known  in  the  State  what  profits 
are  reaped  from  this  mine.  It  is  generally  known  that 'i(:- is 
rich,  and  pays ;  but  how  much,  I  never  have  met  with  th€?i^, 
person  who  could  tell  me,  except  those  who  manag^^d  its  af-  ■ 
fairs.  I  have  entered  into  these  particulars  also,  because  the 
credit  of  the  North-Carolina  mines  has  sufi'ered  from  mis- 
management, and  have  obtained  an  unfortunate  notoriety  in 
Wall  Street ;  that  of  being  almost  worthless.  There  are  suf- 
ficient and  good  reasons  why  this  has  happened :  1st.  The 
capital  stock  is  too  large  ;  2d.  Attempts  to  speculate  in  them, 
and  of  couree  the  double  game  is  played  by  the  Bulls  and 
Bears;  and  3d.  The  cross  purposes  of  the  knowing  stock- 
holders to  oust  out  the  more  ignorant,  and  get  possession  of 
the  prize.  But  there  has  been  no  substantial  reason  why  the 
Gold  Hill  stock  should  have  declined  at  all.  It  has  been 
reaping  a  harvest  of  gold  during  the  whole  time  of  its  de- 
pression in  the  stock  market ;  and  when  it  was  said  of  it  in 


164  NOETH-CAJEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

the  mining  journals  when  its  stock  came  down  to  "  cypher,'' 
"  the  last  rose  of  summer  is  gone ;"  it  was  still  one  of  the 
most  productive  and  paying  mines  of  this  country. 

§  1T7.  In  working  the  ore  of  this  mine,  certain  difficulties 
are  encountered.  The  greatest  appears  to  be  the  fineness  of 
the  gold,  and  its  mechanical  mixture  with  the  heavy  sulphu- 
rets.  In  consequence  of  this  state,  the  ore  must  be  ground 
extremely  fine,  or  the  gold  cannot  be  separated;  and  the 
consequence  of  grinding  fine,  subdivides  the  mercury  to 
an  injurious  extent.  But  even  when  ground  finely,  only  the 
largest  part  of  the  gold  is  obtained.  Hence,  it  is  now  cus- 
tomary to  save  the  sand  and  work  it  over  after  it  has  been 
exposed  ten  or  twelve  months.  In  the  course  of  this  time 
the  sulphurets  are  decomposed,  and  liberate  the  metal. 

These  difi&culties  met  the  first  miners.  It  was  the  inexpe- 
rience in  this  kind  of  ore  which  led  to  losses,  and  which  might 
have  resulted  in  its  abandonment,  had  not  the  gentleman 
whom  I  have  named  jDossessed  a  large  degree  of  skill  and 
enterprize.  The  ore  of  the  Earnhardt  vein,  while  it  was 
worked  at  the  time  the  Earnhart  was  less  prosperous,  was  in 
■A  state  of  disintegration  to  a  considerable  depth ;  and  hence, 
its  metal  was  separated  with  less  difficulty.  Experience  in 
the  ores  has  been  gradually  acquired,  and  now  the  desidera- 
tum is  a  method  by  which  to  extract  all  the  metal  at  a  single 
operation ;  a  desideratum  which  will  be  found  only  by  dis- 
pensing with  mercury  and  resorting  to  the  furnace. 

§  178.  The  middle  vein  of  Gold  Hill  is  eighty-three  yards 
east  of  the  Earnhart  vein,  and  runs  nearly  parallel  with  it. 
It  has  been  explored  by  three  or  four  shallow  shafts  sunk  on 
the  vein ;  very  Kttle  is  therefore  known  of  it,  though  it  is  re- 
garded as  too  poor  to  work.  Tlie  ore  which  has  been  tested 
gave  twenty-five  cents  to  the  bushel  of  ore.  It  passes  imme- 
diately by  the  road  side. 

ij}  179.  The  Earnhardt  vein  has  been  productive,  but  I  was 
not  able  to  ascertain  why  it  has  been  abandoned.  Its  vein 
stutt'  is  decomposed  to  a  great  depth,  and  the  material  raised 
becomes  in  a  short  time  a  reddish  earth.  Its  ore  and  its  slate 
brought  from   one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  is  rather  coarser 


NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  165 

than  the  Earnhart,  but  in  other  respects  it  resembles  it.  The 
most  imjjortant  difference  consists  in  the  greater  amount  of 
sulphuret  of  copper  and  less  gold.  The  copper  and  iron  py- 
rites is  from  eighteen  inches  to  four  feet  wide  at  the  bottom 
of  the  deepest  shafts.  The  ore  yielded  eight  per  cent,  of 
copper.  If  as  abundant  as  represented,  the  per  centage 
would  give  a  profit,  if  worked  for  copper,  provided  it  was 
smelted  on  the  ground. 

This  vein  at  the  south  end  is  divided  in  strings  which  pen- 
etrate the  rock  extensively  in  the  old  field  south  east  of  tlie 
village,  where  the  surface  is  perforated  by  many  shafts  and 
tu»nels.  Of  the  three  veins  which  occupy  the  crest  of  the 
verge  on  which  the  works  are  built  two  have  been  rich,  but 
the  middle  one  is  poor.  It  sometimes  occurs  in  parallel  veins, 
that  when  one  is  poor  in  places,  the  other  is  rich  in  the  same 
relative  position,  and  vice  versa^  an  interchange  apparently  of 
metal  occurring  in  each  respectively. 

The  Honeycutt  vein  was  worked  at  the  south  west  extremi- 
ty of  the  village,  where  the  old  shafts  are  still  visible.  It 
appears  to  be  a  prolongation  of  the  middle  vein,  or  perhaps 
of  the  Earnhart.  This  vein  is  from  fifteen  inches  to  two  feet 
wide.  It  was  profitably  worked  by  A.  Honeycutt,  Gulps  & 
Co.  It  yielded  one  hundred  and  one  thousand,  six  hundred 
and  sixty-five  dollars,  (101,665.)  A  shaft  was  sunk  to  the 
depth  of  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet.  This  mine  is  dis- 
turbed by  a  cross  course,  or  as  it  is  usually  called,  a  mud  slide. 

§  180.  Miners  frequently  meet  with  unexpected  changes  in 
{\\Q  character  of  the  vein  ;  it  may  become  very  rich  and  pro- 
ductive, or  it  may  become  suddenly  poor.  An  instance  oc- 
curred of  a  sudden  change  in  the  Icyhour  vein,  on  tlie  the 
west  side  of  Bufii'alo,  and  two  miles  from  Gold  Hill.  In  prose- 
cuting the  usual  mining  operations  the  vein  changed  from 
poor  to  rich,  that  is,  it  ordinarily  yielded  from  fifteen  to  twen- 
ty cents  per  bushel  of  ore.  A  longitudinal  pocket  was  struck 
which  yielded  one  dollar  and  a  half  per  bushel.  This  ricli 
segment  of  the  vein  was  extended  some  seventy  or  eighty  feet 
in  length,  but  was  entirely  taken  out ;  and  it  was  found  that 
it  had  no  connection  by  strings  with  the  mass  below,  but  was 


166  NOETH-OAEOLINA   GEOLOOICAL   SUKVET. 

perfectly  isolated  in  the  midst  of  ore,  yielding  the  amount 
yery  uniformly,  as  I  have  stated.  The  vein  stone  is  slaty, 
but  contains  fine  quartz,  and  is  a  regular  vein,  but  free,  in  a 
great  measure,  from  the  sulphurets.  It  is  difficult  to  account 
for  isolated  masses  of  rich  ore  situated  in  the  midst  of  poor, 
and  marked  out  by  lines  so  distinct. 

§  181.  Reed  mine  is  in  Cabarrus  county,  and  was  brought 
to  the  notice  of  the  public  in  consequence  of  the  large  pieces 
which  have  been  found  upon  the  plantation.  The  weight 
and  dates  when  these  remarkable  specimens  of  gold  were 
found,  are  taken  from  Wheeler's  history  of  North-Carolina, 
p.  64.     The  following  is  a  copy  of  the  statement  referred  t% : 

WEIGHT  OF  DIFFERENT  PIECES  OP  GOLD  FOUND  AT  THE  EBED  MINE. 

1803,   28      lbs. 

1804,   9        " 

"  y       « 

"       3        " 

"       ■ 2        " 

"     13€  " 

1826,  16  " 

"  9K  " 

"  8  " 

1835,  13%  " 

"       4>^    " 

"       5        " 

i<  2        « 


115^  lbs.  steelyard  weight. 

One  large  piece  had  been  found  in  1799,  that  must  have 
weighed  three  or  four  pounds,  which  was  sold  in  Fayetteville 
for  three  dollars  and  a  half  I  believe  this  is  the  earliest  re- 
cord of  the  discovery  of  gold  in  ISTorth-Carolina. 

The  vein  is  in  the  slate  near  the  dividing  line  between  the 
slate  and  granite.  The  direction  is  east  of  north.  A  shaft 
has  been  sunk  upon  the  vein  to  the  depth  of  ninety  feet.  At 
this  depth,  the  vein  was  followed  ninety  feet ;  and  is  repre- 
sented to  have  yielded  one  dollar  and  fifteen  cents  per  bushel. 
A  cross  vein  intersects  it,  whose  direction  is  N.  40°  E. 

I  have  been  unable  to  obtain  any  information  respecting 
this  mine  from  personal  examination  of  its  interior.     If  testi- 


NORTH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  16T, 

mony  may  be  relied  upon,  it  cannot  but  be  regarded  as  a 
valuable  mine.  Operations  were  suspended  at  this  mine  at 
the  instance  of  Mr,  Keed,  who  procured  an  injunction  against 
the  lessees  for  an  alleged  fraud  in  their  returns. 

Upon  this  property  a  lead  vein  (galena)  has  been  discover- 
ed, whose  strike  is  N.  25°  E.,  and  dips  slightly  to  the  north. 
It  is  eight  or  ten  inches  wide.  A  shaft  sunk  upon  the  vein  a 
short  distance  shows  that  it  is  broken  into  vertical  segments, 
but  the  explorations  are  too  superficial  to  furnish  much  infor- 
mation respecting  its  character. 

§  182.  The  Phifer,  Davis  and  the  Pewter  mines  form  a 
cluster  in  a  soft,  reddish  and  purplish  slate  in  Union  county, 
on  or  near  five  mile  creek.  The  first  was  a  rich  mine,  and 
was  sometimes  called  the  mint,  and  the  second  paid  very 
handsome  dividends,  and  the  third,  the  metal  obtained  from 
it  was  an  alloy  of  silver  and  gold.  It  contained  from  forty  to 
seventy  per  cent,  of  silver ;  its  white,  and  rather  dull  white 
color,  gave  the  name  Pewter  mine.  They  have  all  been 
abandoned ;  it  may  be  temporarily.  The  Davis  vein  was  di- 
vided at  the  depth  of  ninety  feet  by  a  dyke  or  horse,  be- 
came poor,  and  was  afterwards  abandoned. 

The  Hearne  gold  mine,  in  Stanly  county,  is  two-and-a-half 
miles  west  from  Albemarle.  It  is  on  high  ground,  and  asso- 
ciated with  hard  iron  colored  trappean  rock.  But  the  rock 
of  the  country  is  clay  slate.  It  is  a  strong  vein.  It  is  three 
feet  wide,  and  has  been  traced  a  mile.  The  vein  stone  is 
quartz.  As  an  evidence  of  its  richness  eight  quarts  of  se- 
lected ore  yielded  eighty  dollars.  The  mine  is  now  worked 
successfully. 

§  183.  Long  Creek  mine,  upon  the  High  Shoal  property, 
has  been  very  extensively  worked  in  former  years  under 
leases,  which,  when  they  expired,  the  explorations  were  dis- 
continued until  the  property  passed  into  the  hands  of  a  New 
York  Company.  It  traverses  slate  in  a  direction  K.  20°  E. 
It  dips  westerly.  It  is  from  four  to  ten  feet  wide.  The  vein 
stone  is  quartz,  containing  bunches  of  iron  pyrites  often  fine- 
ly crystalized.  The  vein  has  been  taken  out  usually  four 
feet  in  width, ;  when  ten  feet,  it  is  too  poor  to  take  the  whole 


168  NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. 

vein ;  or,  if  taken  out,  it  should  be  selected  ;  tlie  ricliest  part 
contains  the  most  pyrites.  The  vein  has  frequently  yielded 
three  dollars  per  bushel ;  the  poorest  about  fifty  cents.  The 
average  yield  has  been  one  dollar  per  bushel.  When  it  is 
worked  down  below  fifty  feet,  arsenical  pyrites  is  intermixed 
with  the  iron  pyrites.  When  these  sulphurets  coexist  in  the 
ore,  or  form  it,  the  mercury  is  excessively  divided,  which 
leads  to  a  loss  of  the  metals.  This  explanation  has  been  giv- 
en to  account  for  losses  which  the  Company  has  sustained  in 
working  the  mine.  The  vein  fissure  is  wide,  and  carries  a 
great  quantity  of  good  ore  near  the  surface,  and  hence,  has 
been  trenched  at  many  places  for  nearly  a  mile. 

It  frequently  happens  that  the  mercuiy  is  divided  minutely 
in  the  process  of  amalgamation,  and  so  much  so,  that  it  ap- 
pears like  foam  or  froth ;  in  cases  where  it  is  divided  to  this 
extent,  it  is  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  collect  it ; 
and  hence  it  is  lost,  together  with  the  gold  which  has  been 
taken  up.  To  efi'ect  a  re-union  of  the  minute  globules  of 
mercury,  soda  ash  may  be  added  in  small  quantities.  It  is 
the  most  eff'ective  means  which  can  be  devised  for  this  pur- 
pose. 

§  184.  Reynolds'  gold  mine  is  about  six  miles  north  east  of 
Troy,  in  Montgomery  county.  It  is  in  slate,  which  is  back 
of  or  below  the  quartz  and  porphyritic  beds  in  which  those 
remarkable  fossils  occur,  the  palaeotrochis,  major  and  minor. 

The  slate  is  rusty,  not  bright,  and  is  traversed  by  seams  of 
quartz ;  and  it  is  also  stained  with  manganese.  It  rarely 
yields  over  fifty  cents  per  bushel  of  ore,  but  as  the  slate  is 
comparatively  soft,  it  gives,  at  the  present  time,  a  moderate 
profit.  Kests  of  the  sulphuret  of  copper  and  sulphuret  of 
silver  came  in  at  the  depth  of  sixty  feet.  This  vein  furnishes 
occasionally  the  telluret  of  gold.  The  vein  is  rather  obscure, 
and  it  is  unsafe  to  form  an  opinion  respecting  its  value.  I 
have  been  informed  since  I  left  Montgomery  county,  that  the 
vein  is  increasing  in  width,  and  has  yielded,  very  readily,  fif- 
ty cents  per  bushel  of  ore. 

§  185.  The  King's  mountain  gold  mine  is  west  of  the  range 


NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  169 

of  that  name.     It  is  widely  known,  having  been  worked  suc- 
cessfullj  for  many  years  by  Mr.  Briggs. 

The  vein  is  from  six  to  eight  feet  wide,  its  direction  north 
west,  and  its  dip  north  east.  It  differs  from  most  mines  by 
an  intermixture  of  Kmestone  with  the  quartz  at  the  depth  of 
ninety  feet.  But  the  vein  above  this  level  was  found  to  be  a 
porous  brown  quartz ;  the  gold  in  it  being  frequently  coarse 
and  visible.  But  the  upper  part  originally  did  not  differ  from 
the  lower :  the  limestone  above  the  ninetv  feet  level  having 
been  dissolved  out,  left  the  quartz  in  this  porous  condition. 
From  the  ninety  foot  level  where  the  engine  shaft  was  sunk, 
the  undecomposed  part  rises  towards  the  surface  and  towards 
the  north  west.  In  the  undecomposed  part,  seams  of  quartz 
are  not  uncommon  ;  the  surfaces  when  separated  are  spotted 
with  galena  and  sulphuret  of  copper,  and  small  crystals  of 
carbonate  of  lime.  The  limestone  in  this  vein  is  not  unlike 
that  of  Carter  mine,  in  Montgomery  county,  which  frequent- 
ly contained  that  rare  mineral,  the  telluret  of  gold.  I  did 
not  succeed  in  finding  it  at  King's  mountain  mine,  but  was 
informed  that  it  was  present  in  the  ore.  The  rock  which  sup- 
ports the  vein  is  the  Talcose  slate,  which  lies  below  the  brown 
sandstones  and  limestones  of  the  Taconic  system,  and  is  in 
the  same  formation  as  the  heavy  veins  of  magnetic  iron  ore 
of  this  region.  It  is  from  six  to  seven  feet  wide,  and  is  capa- 
ble of  furnishing  a  large  amount  of  ore.  The  vein  stuff  is 
rather  hard,  and  would  require  for  working  it  powerful  ma- 
chinery. It  is  believed  that  the  vein  has  not  materially 
changed  in  the  quantity  of  gold  diffused  through  it. 


170  NOETH-CAKOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

He'positories  of  the  Ores  continued — Gold  Veins  in  the  Sye- 
nitic  Granite  of  the  Salisbury  and  Greensborough  belt — 
McCullock  Gold  Mine — Pioneer  Mine — Fisher  Hill  Gold, 
Mine^  etc. 

%  186.  The  success  which  attended  the  working  of  the 
McCulloch  mine  when  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  James 
Sloan,  gave  it  a  high  reputation.  But  it  unfortunately  fell 
into  the  hands  of  men  who  cannot  be  safely  followed  in  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  this  business.  It  is  sufficient  to  say  that 
the  mine  has  been  mismanaged.  It  was  loaded  with  debt 
and  with  unnecessary  apparatus,  and  it  passed  from  a  paying 
to  a  non-paying  mine  in  the  course  of  eighteen  months  after 
the  New  York  owners  came  into  possession  of  it,  and  after 
having  given  them  seventy-two  thousand  dollars  in  one  year. 

The  vein  fissure  pursues  a  north  east  course,  but  is  curved 
in  the  middle.  It  dips  S.  80°  E.,  and  at  one  place  south  east. 
The  vein  is  composed  of  a  column  of  brown  ore  resting  on 
the  foot  wall,  which  extends  from  the  outcrop  to  one  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  in  depth.  Upon  this  rests  the  disintegrated 
ore,  containing  eight  inches  of  beautiful  copper  pyrites ;  and 
then  against  the  hanging  wall,  quartz  rather  poor  in  gold  and 
frequently  eight  feet  thick.  The  vein  at  the  surface  is  about 
two  feet  wide ;  at  sixty  feet,  it  is  four ;  at  ninety,  ten ;  and  at 
one  hundred  and  thirty  twenty-four  feet  six  inches.  It  dips 
at  an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees.  At  the  one  hundred  and 
thirty  foot  level,  it  swells  out  into  a  rather  lenticular  form, 
and  is  twenty-four  feet  wide  in  the  thickest  part.  Here  the 
ore  is  concretionary ;  on  the  foot  wall  the  brown  ore  is  six 
inches  thick  only,  then  copper  pyrites,  then  a  belt  of  brown 
ore  centaining  nodules  or  concretions  of  pyrites  more  er  less 
changed,  the  middle  of  which  is  rich  in  gold.  Upon  the 
hanging  wall  is  the  principal  mass  of  porous  quartz,  which, 
though  it  sometimes  shows  thin  films  of  gold,  yet  is  general- 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY,  171 

ly  poor.  The  brown  ore  is  soft  and  easily  crushed.  It  is  in- 
termixed with  fine  qnartz,  and  spongy  masses  of  it,  which 
are  rich  in  gold.  The  average  yield  is  from  one-and-a-half  to 
two  dollars  per  bushel.  It  sometimes  exceeds  five.  At  the 
south  west  the  vein  runs  into  the  Lindsay  property.  Towards 
the  north  there  is  a  ravine  into  which  the  water  of  the  mine 
at  the  sixty  foot  level  flows  through  an  adit.  Beyond  the  ra- 
vine in  this  direction,  and  about  one-third  of  a  mile  from  the 
engine  shaft,  is  Jack's  Hill,  a  little  higher  than  the  McCul- 
loch's  Hill.  A  shaft  sunk  in  the  top  of  this  hill  cut  the  vein 
at  the  depth  of  seventy-seven  feet,  where  it  is  seventeen  feet 
thick.  There  is  exposed  at  the  bottom  of  the  vein  a  base  of 
three  thousand  feet,  in  the  limits  of  which  is  stored  a  vast 
quantity  of  valuable  ore. 

The  copper  is  the  purest  sulphuret,  yielding  by  analysis 
thirty  per  cent,  of  copper.  It  decomposes  rapidly  even  at  the 
depth  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  feet.  The  walls  are  often 
colored  blue  by  the  sulphate  of  copper  by  the  decomposition 
of  the  pyrites. 

I  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  how  much  gold  the  mine 
has  yielded,  excepting  for  a  single  year — the  last  eighteen 
months  the  matter  pertaining  to  have  been  in  an  unsettled 
state.  That  it  is  a  paying  mine,  and  may  be  worked  with 
profit,  is  probably  true ;  but  when  a  mine  is  frequently  ad- 
vertised for  sale,  every  one  suspects  that  it  has  run  out,  or 
else  certain  schemes  are  in  progress  which  are  intended  to 
benefit  only  a  small  part  of  the  stockholders.  At  this  mine 
the  sulphate  of  iron  and  copper,  oxide  of  copper,  limonite. 
cacoxenite,  specular  oxide  of  iron,  earthy  oxide. of  manga- 
nese, and  occasionally  crystals  of  limpid  quartz  are  found. 
The  gold  and  copper  mines  rarely  contain  fine  minerals,  ex- 
cepting those  of  common  occurrence. 

The  McCuUoch  vein  carries  its  gold  in  combination  with 
the  sulphurets.  When,  therefore,  the  veinstone  is  made  up 
of  quartz,  gold  will  not  be  found  in  it ;  and  when,  on  the  con- 
trary, pyrites  reappears,  after  having  been  absent  perhaps  for 
a  hundred  feet,  the  gold  reappears.  It  is  a  mass  of  quartz 
which  is  under  foot  at  the  present  time ;  for  the  time  being, 


■^ 


172  NOKTH-CAROLINA    GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

therefore,  it  is  too  poor  to  pay  the  expenses  of  mining.  But 
it  will  probably  return  to  its  former  value.  A  mine  so  well 
developed  and  maintaining  its  width  of  vein,  extending,  in- 
cluding the  Lindsay  vein,  not  less  than  a  mile  in  length,  may 
be  expected  to  continue  to  yield  in  the  future  as  much  gold 
as  during  the  past. 

As  quartz  in  this  mine  is  unproductive,  it  is  in  vain  to 
work  this  material.  The  course  which  may  be  regarded 
then  as  the  most  likely  to  be  a  successful  one,  is  to  sink  the 
Colby  shaft  to  the  depth  of  300  feet,  where  it  is  expected  to 
intersect  the  vein,  and  then  drive  each  way,  if  necessary,  for 
the  rich  ore.  That  unproductive  spaces  are  encountered,  is 
not  rare  in  the  experience  of  miners,  and  a  change  of  this 
kind  should  not  deter  the  capitalist  from  pursuing  the  vein, 
for  there  can  scarcely  arise  a  doubt  of  a  final  successful  ter- 
mination of  the  project  projDosed. 

In  making  the  foregoing  remarks  I  wish  it  to  be  distinctly 
understood,  that  I  do  not  mean  to  back  the  doctrine  that  the 
McCulloch  mine  may  be  expected  to  pay  the  interest  upon  its 
capital  stock ;  for  although  it  has  done  so  for  a  short  period, 
yet  this  fact  does  not  warrant  an  investment  in  its  stocks, 
even  at  par  value.  All  mines  have  their  periods  of  adversity, 
and  to  meet  the  expenses  which  accrue  during  those  periods, 
there  should  be  a  surplus  capital.  The  eai-nings  of  the  mine 
during  the  period  of  its  prosperity  should  be  laid  by  in  part 
for  use  when  required. 

§  187.  Fisher  Hill  Gold  Mine. — This  vein  has  peculiari- 
ties which  require  a  passing  notice.  It  lies  very  flat,  its  dip 
is  between  fifteen  and  twenty  degrees ;  and  its  vein  stone 
quartz,  in  which  a  white  sulphuret  of  iron  is  mixed  irregu- 
larly through  it.  I  have  not  observed  a  trace  of  copper.  To 
the  eye,  before  it  is  burnt,  the  ore  appears  poor ;  but  this  is 
a  deception. 

In  consequence  of  its  perfect  freedom  from  copper  pyrites, 
it  may  be  burnt  to  great  advantage.  If  this  vein  should  not 
change,  it  must  be  regarded  one  of  the  first  class  of  mines. 
Its  thickness  is  from  two  to  four  feet  near  the  surface.  The 
quartz  is  brittle,  and  when  burnt  is  easily  pulverized. 


# 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  178 

The  yield  o:^  gold  to  the  bushel  averages  three  dollai's,  and 
it  is  worth  ninety-nine  cents  to  the  pennyweight.  The  north 
west  end  of  this  mine  the  ore  is  worth  only  eighty-six  cents 
to  the  bushel.  It  has  changed  its  dip  at  this  point,  and  has 
become  very  steep. 

In  consequence  of  the  slight  dip,  the  vein  lying  just  be- 
neath the  soil,  it  has  been  frequently  perforated  by  shafts  by 
the  lessees ;  it  is  therefore  much  exposed  to  surface  water, 
which,  in  some  locations,  would  be  detrimental  to  the  future 
prosecution  of  mining.  It  is  known  for  rather  more  than  a 
mile  in  the  direction  of  its  strike,  and  to  be  equally  rich  in 
its  south  western  prolongation. 

If  the  mining  was  prosecuted  vigorously,  this  vein  might 
furnish  per  day  from  fifty  to  seventy  dollars  over  and  above 
the  expense  of  attending  its  working.  The  metal  is  attached 
both  to  the  sulphuret  of  iron  and  the  quartz ;  and  by  being 
heated  to  redness  it  breaks  and  grinds  without  difficulty  in  a 
drag  mill. 

§  188.  In  the  vicinity  of  the  Fisher  Hill  is  the  abandoned 
Hodge's  Hill  mine,  which  I  believe  never  gave  results  which 
were  perfectly  satisfactory.  The  gold  is  distributed  unequal- 
ly through  a  heavy  vein,  whose  width  varies  from  six  inches 
to  twelve  feet.  Not  having  been  able  to  examine  the  work- 
ings, I  can  say  but  little  respecting  it.  It  furnishes  many  fa- 
mous quartz  crystals.  Its  gold  is  distributed  through  quartz 
and  copper  pyrites ;  the  latter  is  pure  and  handsome,  and 
may  furnish  an  inducement  to  some  capitalist  to  reopen  the 
mine. 

The  miilerals  taken  out  of  the  vein  are  peroxide  of  man- 
ganese, limonite,  carbonate  of  iron,  hornstone,  very  large 
quartz  crystals,  carbonate  of  copper,  and  its  earthy  red  oxide. 

§  189.  The  Lindsay  mine  is  supposed  to  be  a  continuation 
of  McCulloch ;  it  is  less  rich,  was  formerly  worked  with  suc- 
cess, but  was  badly  excavated,  according  to  reports.  It  is  re- 
opened, and  I  am  informed  with  fair  prospects. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  McCulloch  vein  is  split  into  strings. 
If  the  two  forms  one  continuous  vein,  then  the  branches  unite 
and  form  a  consolidated  lode  which,  in  the  Lindsay  mine,  is 


174  NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

from  eighteen  to  ten  feet  wide.     It  is  distant  from  the  McCul- 
loch  engine  shaft  about  one  hundred  rods. 

§  190.  The  veins  in  the  mining  district  of  Jamestown  are 
quite  numerous,  all  of  which  are  worked  only  for  gold  when 
first  discovered.  The  McCulloch,  which  has  been  noticed, 
the  Lindsey,  the  Beason,  the  Harlan  and  Gardner  mines,  and 
the  Beard  mine.  The  four  last  are  not  worked.  Gold  having 
been  the  only  metal  sought,  they  were  pursued  down  to  wa- 
ter, where  their  characters  were  materially  changed  by  the 
sulphurets  of  copper  and  iron,  and  the  easy  method  of  ex- 
tracting the  gold  no  longer  existing,  they  were  mostly  aban- 
doned. They  are  all  true  veins  in  the  sienitic  granite,  and  it 
will  be  an  important  question  to  determine  whether  they 
may  be  reopened  with  a  fair  prospect  of  success.  In  the 
mean  time  a  few  mines  are  being  pursued,  which  probably 
have  in  their  time  presented  equal  obstacles  to  a  successful 
result,  and  indeed  have,  in  their  turn,  been  abandoned  also ; 
but  which  on  farther  prosecution,  with  better  means  and 
more  experience,  are  likely  to  become  lasting  sources  of 
wealth. 

§  191.  Among  the  mines  of  this  cluster,  near  Jamestown, 
in  Guilford  county,  is  one  known  as  the  Gardner  mine,  and 
I  propose  to  make  at  least  the  usual  statements  respecting  its 
character ;  and  besides,  there  are  certain  interesting  facts 
worthy  of  note,  which  require  this  brief  notice.  It  is  in  the 
sienitic  granite.  It  is  a  true  vein,  whose  direction  is  IST.  20° 
E.,  and  with  a  westerly  dip.  It  was  worked  for  gold,  and  the 
lessees,  who  paid  one  quarter  of  the  gold  obtained  as  toll, 
made  a  profitable  undertaking,  as  their  books  show.  One 
hundred  thousand  dollars  have  been  taken  from  the  lode  and 
surface  mine.  The  gangue  is  quartz  intermixed  with  brown 
ore  which  lies  against  the  foot  wall,  and  is  from  six  to  twelve 
inches  thick.  It  rarely  yields  over  one  dollar  per  bushel,  but 
the  quartz  is  frequently  richer,  and  hence  has  paid  large  pro- 
fits. The  lode  is  bounded  by  slate  or  killas ;  but  the  adja- 
cent granite  on  the  lower  or  foot  wall  is  extremely  tough  and 
hard,  while  that  on  the  upper  side  is  soft.  The  arrangement 
of  the  vein  stone  is  shown  in  figure  18. 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  175 

a.  a.  the  granite  inclosing  the  vein  fissure. 
b.  b.  killas  or  slate,  c.  vein.  The  vein  fis- 
sure is  rarely  more  than  three  feet  wide  near 
the  top,  and  in  a  part  of  the  lode  at  the 
depth  of  eighty  feet  is  only  eight  inches, 
where  the  ore  is  poor. 

§  192.  The  vein  stone  is  quartz  as  is  com- 
monly the  case  in  granite,  but  upon  each 
side  it  is  bounded  by  slate,  which  of  course 
fills  in  part  the  fissure.  In  this  slate  I  find  fine  micaceous 
oxide  of  iron,  and  frequently  it  exists  in  connexion  with  the 
quartz  where  most  of  it  has  passed  into  the  brown  hydrous 
oxide  of  iron,  l^ow  the  most  valuable  ore  of  this  mine  is  a 
brown  oxide,  and  to  the  eye  it  cannot  be  distinguished  from 
that  produced  from  the  micaceous  oxide ;  but  the  gold  bear- 
ing oxide  is  derived  from  the  copper  and  iron  pyrites.  It 
was  noticed  in  working  the  ore  of  this  mine  that  a  part  of  it 
was  rich,  and  another  part  was  worthless.  I  found,  on  ex- 
amination, that  the  worthless  was  derived  from  the  micaceous 
oxide.  It  seems,  therefore,  that  gold  attaches  itself,  as  usual, 
to  the  sulphurets ;  and  it  becomes  necessary  in  examining 
the  ores  of  a  gold  mine  to  determine  their  origin,  for  the  mi- 
caceous oxide  is  not  a  rare  mineral  in  veins  carrying  gold. 
In  this  mine  we  find  the  killas  which  have  been  alluded  to. 
It  seems  that  under  the  circumstances  in  which  they  occur 
in  veins,  it  is  difficult  to  determine  how  they  were  formed. 
At  the  Rudersill  mine  near  Charlotte,  and  at  the  Dunn  mine 
they  are  very  thick,  while  at  the  Gardner  mine  they  are  thin ; 
but  in  each  of  these  cases  they  must  have  been  produced  in. 
the  same  way ;  and  what  i#perplexing  is,  they  are  similar  to 
the  slates  of  the  country ;  and  where  thick,  as  near  Charlotte, 
they  have  quartz  veins  which  are  like  those  of  the  sediments, 
and  have  no  gold  or  metal  in  them.  I  have  in  another  place 
spoken  of  the  laminated  dykes  or  slaty  dykes ;  these  killas  of 
the  veins,  except  when  quite  wide,  resemble  them. 

The  Gardner  mine,  at  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  ten 
feet,  yields,  under  careful  management,  about  one  dollar  per 
bushel ;  the  poorest  about  fifty  cents,    Tlie  ore  contains  a 


176  NORTH-CAROLINA    GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

handsome  quantity  of  rich  sulphnret  of  iron  and  copper ;  it 
yields  about  thirty  per  cent  of  copper ;  it  is  not  largely  inter- 
mixed with  iron  pyrites  at  any  part  of  the  vein.  There  are 
probably  three  veins  upon  the  Gardner  property ;  but  I  have 
been  unable  to  determine  their  relations,  two  visits  having 
been  made  to  the  mine  when  it  was  impossible  to  examine 
the  exposed  lodes  underground. 

§  193.  Rudersill  gold  mine  is  near  Charlotte,  Mecklenburg 
county,  and  was  at  one  time  regarded  as  the  most  productive 
mine  in  the  State.  In  this,  as  in  many  other  instances,  a  rich 
and  productive  deposit  of  gold  did  not  save  the  property 
from  sale  under  execution.  An  infatuation  seemed  to  have 
seized  the  managers,  and  extravagance  was  increased  in  a 
greater  ratio  than  the  returns  of  the  mine,  which  indeed  were 
known  to  have  been  very  remarkable.  This  mine  was  re- 
opened about  two  years  ago,  under  the  management  and  su- 
perintendence of  an  able,  as  well  as  prudent  engineer.  The 
present  prospects  warrant  a  favorable  conclusion  to  the  en- 
terprise. Tlie  rock  both  above  and  below  the  two  veins 
which  constitute  the  mine  is  the  syenitic  granite  of  the  Salis- 
bury and  Greeusborough  belt ;  but  the  veins  are  immediate- 
ly in  killas  or  slate,  or  mass  which  cannot  be  distinguished 
from  the  slates  which  predominate  in  the  slate  belt;  and 
there  are  other  points  where  the  slate  is  in  granite,  and  not 
less  than  one  hundred  feet  thick,  which  is  traversed  with 
veins  of  quartz.  It  is  difficult  to  determine  whether  the  slate 
thus  situated  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  killas  of  a  vein,  or  as 
masses  of  the  slate  sj^stem  isolated  by  an  eruptive  rock, 

Tlius  the  Rudersill  veins  are  between  masses  of  an  erup- 
tive rock,  and  the  lower  is  regalRed  as  the  elvan  of  the  Cor- 
nish miners.  The  vein  fissure  is  fifty  feet  thick,  occupied 
mostly  by  talcose  slate,  which  is  overlaid  by  white  granite 
and  underlaid  by  elvan  or  a  darker  trappean  rock.  In  this 
fifty  feet  of  slate  lie  the  two  principal  veins,  which,  instead 
of  pursuing  a  direct  course,  are  frequently  curved  or  rather 
turned  out  of  their  regular  course  as  represented  in  Plate  12, 
at  the  one  hundred  foot  level  of  both  the  front  and  back  veins. 

A  vertical  section,  Plate  12,  shows  the  position  of  two  vehia 


7> 

C 

o 

n 


NOKTH-OAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY.  177 

lying,  one  against  the  elvan,  and  the  other  against  the  white 
granite.  There  is  also  a  branch  called  the  third  vein,  which 
will  intersect  the  back  vein.  It  is  mostly  quartz.  The  prin- 
cipal veins,  front  and  back  as  they  are  called,  are  from  three 
to  four  feet  wide,  with  a  west  dip.  The  gangue  slaty,  and 
slate  with  stripes  of  quartz,  carrying  sulphuret  of  iron  and 
copper  pyrites. 

The  front  vein  yields,  in  some  parts  of  it,  for  sixty  continu- 
ous feet,  one  dollar  per  'bushel,  and  the  back  vein  only  fifty 
cents.  Carbonate  of  iron  is  one  of  the  common  minerals  of 
the  vein,  though  not  so  abundant  as  in  many  copper  mines. 
An  important  advantage  which  this  mine  enjoys,  is  the 
amount  of  ore  which  can  be  commanded.  It  may  be  regard- 
ed as  one  of  those  repositories  which,  if  prudently  managed, 
will  continue  to  give  a  very  respectable  profit  at  all  times. 
One  or  the  other  of  its  veins  may  be  depended  upon,  and  it 
may  turn  out  that  when  the  one  that  now  gives  one  dollar 
per  bushel  should  be  less  productive,  the  loss  will  be  made 
up  by  an  increased  productiveness  of  the  other,  and  so  vice 
versa.  The  arrangement  of  ore  in  the  lode  is  usually  in  rich 
bunches,  which  are  connected  by  strings.  The  quartz  is  brit- 
tle, and  hence  is  readily  crushed.  The  whole  work  of  fitting 
and  pulverizing  the  ore  is  by  steam  power. 

§  194.  The  Dunn  mine  is  inclosed  in  a  heavy  mass  of  slate 
also.  It  is  seven  miles  from  Charlotte,  on  the  plank  road ; 
but  the  principal  rock  is  granite.  It  has  been  worked  for 
gold.  It  is  remarkable  for  the  large  quantity  of  limonite 
which  has  been  produced  from  iron  pyrites.  Imbedded  in 
masses  of  limonite,  fine  and  beautiful  scales  and  plates  of 
specular  iron  are  common.  It  is  of  no  account  as  a  gold 
mine. 

Phoenix  mine  in  Cabarrus  county  furnished  good  ore  in 
the  quartz,  intermixed  with  the  sulphuret  of  iron.  It  was 
proved  to  be  rich  to  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  forty  feet. 
At  this  level  a  white  quartz  and  sulphate  of  barytes  re- 
placed the  brown  ore,  and  it  immediately  became  poor,  and 
yielded  only  twenty-five  cents  to  the  bushel.  It  yielded  from 
one  to  three  dollars  per  bushel  above  the  one  hundred  and 
12 


178  NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAli    STJKVET.  ' 

forty  foot  level.  No  company  has  as  yet  had  sufficient  cour- 
age to  undertake  to  cut  through  the  barytic  part,  and  deter- 
mine whether  the  vein  stone  changes  and  becomes  rich  again 
or  not. 

The  Phoenix  mine  is  about  fourteen  miles  south  east  of  Con- 
cord, and  its  general  direction  is  north  east.  It  belongs  to 
the  sienitic  belt  of  rocks,  and  at  the  depth  of  one  hundred 
and  eighty  feet  is  one  foot  wide.  It  is  nearly  vertical.  This 
vein  prolonged  about  one-and-a-quarter  miles,  takes  the  name 
of  Vanderburgh  mine,  where  the  vein  stone  is  sulphate  of 
barytes  and  quartz.  Its  contents  differ  from  those  of  the 
Phoenix  mine.  Copper  pyrites  prevails  to  that  extent,  that 
it  has  been  in  market  as  a  copper  mine. 

One-and-a-quarter  miles  south  west  of  the  old  Phoenix 
mine  it  has  taken  the  name  of  Barrier  mine,  which  is  rep- 
resented as  a  productive  gold  mine. 

The  Orchard  mine  is  one-fourth  of  a  mile  east  of  the  Phoe- 
nix, and  runs  parallel  with  it ;  it  carries  copper  pyrites,  but  is 
not  supposed  to  be  rich  enough  to  work. 

Between  the  Yanderburgh  and  Phoenix  locations  a  heavy 
trap  dyke  intersects  the  vein.  This  fact  may  throw  some 
light  upon  the  change  of  material  which  has  taken  place 
north  of  it. 

The  Barnhardt  gold  mine  of  Cabarrus  county  is  in  granite, 
and  pursues  a  northeasterly  direction.  It  is  a  well  developed 
mine  ;  its  gangue  of  quartz,  taken  near  the  surface,  contains 
coarse  gold.  It  is  without  doubt  a  rich  mine,  and  well  wor- 
thy the  attention  of  capitalists. 

Pioneer  gold  mine  is  in  a  cluster  of  interesting,  and  which 
I  believe  will  turn  out  to  be  valuable  mines.  This  is  the  on- 
ly one  in  the  district  which  is  worked  at  present.  It  is  twelve 
miles  east  of  Concord,  and  situated  upon  the  eastern  border 
of  the  sienitic  granite,  and  in  a  belt  upon  which  there  are 
numerous  veins  carrying  both  gold  and  copper.  The  vein 
fissure  in  the  granite  is  between  sixteen  and  seventeen  feet 
wide.  Its  direction  is  1^.  T0°  E.  The  true  vein  stone  is 
quartz  from  eight  to  thirty  inches  thick,  both  sides  of  which 
is  bounded  by  the  killas. 


NOKTH-OAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   STJEVEY.  179 

The  vein  stone  is  usually  stained  with  carbonate  of  copper ; 
it  is  brittle  and  not  difficult  to  pulverize,  and  the  gold  is  con- 
tained  both  in  the  pure  quartz  and  the  sulphurets,  intermin- 
gled with  it. 

Tlie  following  items  will  show  how  the  mine  yields.  There 
is  only  one  pair  of  Chilian  mill-stones  in  operation,  whose 
movements  were  not  graduated  to  the  proper  speed  which 
the  ore  requires.  The  revolutions  were  too  many  for  this  ore, 
making,  1  believe,  eleven  in  a  minute.  The  defects  of  the 
machinery  were  too  obvious  to  escape  notice ;  but  with  these 
defects,  the  mine  was  proving  itself  a  valuable  one.  I  state 
the  results  according  to  the  amount  of  ore  used.  Thirty  to 
forty  bushels  of  ore  ground  per  day  with  the  aid  of  a  single 
mill.    Thus : 

BUSHELS.  YIELDED   IN  GOLD. 

147  $  364 

92  123 

118  361 

103  408 

127  570 

•   131  496 

38  201 

143  618 

121  456 

138  301 

139  352 

134  417 

154  447 

92 560 

Bushels,  1677  $5,674 

The  yield,  therefore,  for  the  whole  amount,  is  three  dollars 
and  thirty  cents  a  bushel. 

The  labor  is  performed  in,  and  at  the  mine  by  from  fifteen 
to  twenty  hands,  working  from  eighteen  to  twenty  days  in 
the  month ;  and  the  whole  cost  amounts  to  four  hundred  dol- 
lars ($400)  per  month.  Now  under  a  certain  plan  of  man- 
agement the  mine  did  not  pay  expenses,  and  became  in  debt 
in  various  ways,  and  would  have  been  sold  by  the  company, 
but  the  present  agent,  by  proper  attention  to  the  manage- 
ment of  the  machinery,  and  particularly  by  using  mercury 


180  NORTH-CA.EOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

in  the  Chilian  mill,  made  the  handsome  profits  shown  above, 
b}'  the  nse  of  the  same  kind  of  ore  which  before  did  not  pay 
the  expenses  of  mining.  It  is  impossible  to  make  money  by 
working  a  gold  mine  without  the  closest  attention;  every 
leakage  must  be  found  and  stopped ;  the  revolutions  of  the 
Chilian  mills  must  be  timed  to  suit  the  character  of  the  ore. 
If  the  ore  of  the  Pioneer  mine  yielded  only  twenty-five  cents 
per  bushel  with  proper  attention  and  economy,  and  the  use 
of  sufficient  machinery  to  grind  one  hundred  bushels  per  day, 
it  would  give  a  handsome  profit. 

Yery  few  persons  have  been  economical  in  working  gold 
mines,  and  fewer  still  have  thought  of  timing  the  movements 
of  the  machinerv  to  suit  the  character  of  the  ore :  if  this  is 
not  done,  the  gold  'and  mercury  is  lost ;  for  of  all  things  yet 
discovered,  gold  is  the  most  difiicult  to  catch,  and  the  easiest 
to  slip  away. 


The  vein  stone  is  arranged  in  the  fissure  much  as  it  is  in 
the  Gold  Hill  mine,  viz.,  in  lenticular  segments  ;  which  over- 
lap at  the  lower  edge,  and  set  back  against  the  foot  wall  at 
the  upper.  The  great  quantity  of  ore  at  this  mine,  and  the 
ease  with  which  it  is  obtained,  confers  great  advantages 
upon  it. 

I  have  observed  that  the  Pioneer  mine  is  in  the  immediate  vi- 
cinity of  several  other  mines ;  thus,  upon  the  Morrison  planta- 
tion there  are  four  veins,  all  of  which  carry  gold.  The  fii-st  Ib 
one  mile  south  west  of  the  Pioneer  mine.  Around  an  old  shaft 
the  refuse  ore  I  found  rich  in  gold.  The  vein  stone  is  quartz, 
interspersed  with  the  sulphurets.  The  second  is  one  mile 
east.  It  resembles  the  first.  In  the  third,  the  gold  is  in  com  • 
binatioii  with  copper  pyrites.  The  fourth  is  a  quartz  vein, 
situated  at  the  north  east  part  of  the  plantation ;  it  is  com- 
posed of  quartz  and  iron  pyrites.  The  general  direction  of 
these  veins  is  north  east.  In  addition  to  the  foregoing,  there 
is  a  valuable  vein  carrying  quartz  and  copper  pyrites  upon 
the  plantation  of  Dr.  Cosby,  The  part  of  the  vein  which  has 
been  tested  is  rich  in  gold,  but  the  indication  favors  the  ex- 
pectation that  it  will  prove  rather  a  copper  than  a  gold  bear- 
'  ing  vein. 


NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY.  ISl 

The  Long  mine  is  two  miles  north  west  from  the  Pioneer. 
It  is  nearly  vertical,  is  two  feet  wide,  and  carries  less  copper 
than  the  Pioneer,  and  contains  a  larger  amount  of  decompos- 
ed ore.  The  vein  fissure  is  from  eight  to  ten  feet  wide,  and 
bears  N.  10°  W.  It  has  been  explored  to  the  depth  of 
iifty  feet,  the  ore  steadily  improving  in  quality.  It  Avas  re- 
garded as  rich  as  the  Pioneer  mine,  and  in  certain  respects, 
as  having  advantages  which  the  latter  does  not  possess. 

A  vein  of  quartz  passes  also  throngh  the  plantation  upon 
which  the  Pioneer  mine  is  situated,  which  will  intersect  it,  if 
both  are  prolonged  a  few  hundred  yards  beyond  the  present 
workings.  In  itself,  it  is  of  no  consequence ;  its  presence 
shows  the  extent  to  which  this  small  mineral  district  has  been 
iissured.     Its  direction  is  IST.  10°  W. 

Rymer  gold  mine  is  six  miles  east  of  Salisbury,  Kowau 
county,  and  one  mile  to  the  left  of  the  road  loading  to  Gold 
Hill.  Direction  north  east,  and  nearly  vertical.  The  vein 
stone  is  seven  feet  wide.  It  is  a  prominent  mass  of  brittle 
quartz.  The  immediate  repository  is  a  pale  colored  sulphu- 
ret  of  iron,  which  lies  mostly  against  the  foot  wall.  The  ore 
is  three  feet  wide.  The  sulphuret  is  sometimes  crystallized 
in  cubes.  There  is  no  copper  pyrites  intermixed  with  it.  It 
resembles  the  Fisher  Hill  gold  mine.  As  it  contains  no  cop- 
per, the  ore  admits  of  roasting,  which  favors  the  discharge  of 
the  gold  from  the  sulphuret,  and  the  pulverization  of  the 
gangue.  It  is  subordinate  to  granite.  It  has  been  opened 
but  a  short  time,  and  the  returns  of  gold  have  not  been  ob- 
tained. It  is  spoken  well  of  by  persons  who  have  informa- 
tion npon  the  subject. 

KECAPITULATION  OF  SOilE  OF  THE   LEADES'G   FACTS  KESPECTING  THE 

GOLD    ORES. 

1.  I  have  shown  that  gold  belongs  both  to  the  pyrocrystal- 
line  and  sedimentary  rocks.  In  the  former  it  is  always  in 
veins  ;  in  the  latter,  in  both  veins  and  beds. 

2.  The  gold  repositories,  therefore,  belong  to  two  geologi- 
cal periods.     The  first  and  oldest  must  be  assigned  to  fhosf-. 


182  KOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL    SIJEVEY. 

which  belong  to  the  pyrocrystalHne  rocks,  gneiss,  mica  and 
talcose  slates,  etc. 

3.  From  the  debris  of  the  auriferous  veins  of  these  rocks 
the  beds  are  formed  which  have  been  already  described,  and 
which  belong  to  the  oldest  palaeozoic  rocks. 

4.  I  have  also  shown  that  anriferons  veins  exist  in  the  pa- 
laeozoic rocks  as  well  as  beds.  There  are,  therefore,  two  pe- 
riods to  which  the  auriferous  veins  of  this  slate  must  be  as 
signed ;  the  first  prior  to  the  creation  of  organic  beings,  and 
the  second  one  bears  a  subsequent  date,  or  comes  within  the 
palaeozoic  era. 

5.  As  yet  no  veins  are  known  of  a  later  date  than  those 
which  have  been  described  as  belonging  to  the  Taconic  sys- 
tem ;  that  is,  we  have  no  auriferous  veins  belonging  to  the 
Silurian,  which  succeeds  the  Taconic  system. 

6.  Gold  is  associated  with  quartz  and  the  sulphurets  of  cop- 
per and  iron — ^but  sulphuret  of  iron  appears  to  be  the  sub- 
stance with  which  gold  is  more  immediately  associated. 

7.  Gold,  like  other  substances,  has  been  subjected  to  mo- 
lecular movements,  by  which  it  has  been  transferred  from 
the  interior  of  a  mass  to  its  surface  planes.  Thus,  in  the 
slates  it  is  more  abundant  upon  the  planes,  or  between  two 
parallel  planes,  than  in  the  lamina  of  the  slate.  So  it  often 
occurs  in  seams  which  were  formed  perhaps  during  the  slow 
consolidation  of  the  rock. 

8.  Gold  is  mechanically  mixed  with  the  quartz  and  the 
sulphurets,  and  rarely  occurs  in  any  chemical  combination, 
except  with  tellurium.  Its  separation  is  therefore  effected 
mechanically. 

9.  The  amount  of  gold  which  can  be  obtained  depends  ve- 
ry much  upon  the  means  employed.  All  the  machinery  for 
the  separation  of  gold  is  defective.  The  Chilian  mill,  which 
is  probably  the  most  effective,  flattens  the  gold  too  much : 
the  consequence  of  this  is,  that  the  surfaces  condense  air, 
which  aid  in  buoying  it  up  in  the  pasty  fluid  in  which  it  is 
immersed,  and  hence  it  floats  off  with  the  escaping  fluid.  If 
the  process  were  conducted  in  a  heated  fluid,  less  air  would 
be  condensed  and  more  gold  saved.    A  mill  which  operates 


NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  183 

like  tb.6  flouring  mill  may  be  more  successful  than  the  Chilian, 
or  like  the  eccentric  plates  of  the  Bogardus  mill.  Whatever 
form  of  apparatus  is  selected,  it  should  be  with  reference  to 
the  preservation  of  the  rounded  form  in  which  the  coarse  gold 
exists.  In  some  cases  and  indeed  in  many  it  is  already  flat, 
and  approaches  the  condition  of  gold  leaf;  it  is  therefore  dif- 
ficult to  save.  Much  gold  is  lost  by  the  haste  in  which  the 
different  processes  are  conducted,  and  the  slight  attention 
which  is  paid  to  the  movements  of  the  machinery ;  for  it  is 
to  this  point  that  the  attention  should  be  especially  directed. 
The  condition  of  the  gold  should  be  ascertained,  whether  it 
is  fine  or  coarse,  as  those  points  must  be  determined  before 
the  movements  of  the  machinery  can  be  properly  adjusted. 


CHAPTEK  XXV. 


Jiej^osiiories  of  Metals  continued — Silver ;  Washington  Sil- 
ver mine  /  its  prolongation^  eto^ — Character  of  the  Veins  at 
different  depths,  etc. 

§  195.  This  metal  is  much  rarer  in  the  United  States  than 
gold.  Silver  is  combined,  it  is  true,  with  the  galena  of  many 
of  the  repositories  of  this  metal ;  but  it  is  not  often  that  its 
per  centage  will  warrant  the  expense  of  its  extraction.  The 
Washington  silver  mine  has  passed  through  the  usual  vicissi. 
tudes  which  attend  all  mining  operations.  It  has  had  its  day 
of  partial  success,  when  it  seemed  that  its  owners  were  just 
upon  the  point  of  realizing  their  hopes,  when  some  unfortu- 
nate occurrence  took  place  which  set  them  afloat  upon  a  tide 
of  uncertainty.  Various  methods  were  resorted  to  to  sepa- 
rate the  silver  and  gold  from  the  sulphurets  by  different  as- 
sayists,  but  the  results  more  frequently  proved  so  near  a 
failure,  that  they  amounted  in  the  end  to  the  same  thing ;  for 


184  NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

more  money  was  expended  by  the  company  than  was  re- 
ceived, though  the  returns  came  within  a  thousand  or  two 
dollars  per  annum  of  the  expenditures,  so  that  the  company 
lived,  because  it  was  wealthy.     It  would  happen  that  the 
amount  of  metals  received  was  about  eighteen  thousand  dol- 
lars, but  it  had  to  expend  twenty  thousand  to  get  it ;  and  the 
consequence  was,  that  the  operations  at  the  Washington  mine 
were  suspended  for  several  years ;  still  it  was  estabhshed  that 
a  much  larger  per  centage  of  silver  and  gold  existed  in  the 
mineral  than  was  ever  obtained  by  any  furnace  operations. 
It  was  therefore  a  question  of  skill,  whether  the  mine  should 
be  abandoned  or  not.     There  was  ore  enough,  it  was  rich 
enough,  but  all  who  had  been  employed  to  smelt  the  ores 
succeeded  only  partially.     Money,  it  is*true,  was  made,  while 
certain  surface  ores  continued ;  but  when  they  gave  out,  and 
greater  skill  was  required,  then  the  failure  became  too  plain 
to  be  denied.     It  was  precisely  like  working  the  surface  of  a 
gold  mine  which  consists  of  brown  ore,  where  the  sulphurets 
were  thoroughly  decomposed.     Any  person  with  only  ordi- 
nary skill  could  perform  the  work  successfully,  but  when  the 
undecomposed  sulphurets  were  to  be  dealt  with,  it  was  an- 
other thing,  and  required  skill  and  knowledge  combined,  in 
order  to  be  successful  with  them,  and  as  both  were  frequent- 
ly defective  or  totally  wanting,  most  of  the  gold  mines  of  the 
State  were  abandoned.     Tlie  ore  of  the  Washington  mine  is 
a  mixture  of  the  sulphurets  of  lead,  zinc,  copper  and  iron,  in 
which  there  is  gold  and  the  sulphuret  of  silver.     The  sulphu- 
rets of  lead   and  zinc  predominate,  the   sulphuret  of  iron 
stands  next,   and  the  sulphuret  of  copper  and  iron  is  the 
least.     Zinc  predominates  over  the  lead.     In  some  pieces 
they  seem  to  be  in  nearly  equal  proportions.     But  almost  all 
the  lumps  of  much  size  contain  the  four  sulphurets,  with  the 
gold  and  silver  besides.     There  are,  therefore,  five  metals  to 
which  the  attention  must  be  directed,  and  all  of  them  should 
be  saved;  the  gold,  silver,  lead,  copper  and  zinc.     The  ore  it 
Avill  be  seen  is  very  complex,  and  it  is  no  wonder  that  success 
did  not  crown  the  efforts  of  the  owners  until  and  after  sev- 
eral years  of  trial  and  the  expenditure  of  a  large  capital,  es- 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    8URVEY.  185 

pacially  when  one  of  those  metals  which  formed  nearly  half  of 
the  mass  is  one  of  the  most  refractory  metals  to  deal  with.  In 
the  first  attempt  to  separate  the  metals  composing  this  com-  . 
plicated  ore,  the  silver  and  gold  were  of  com'se  the  principal 
objects  sought  for.  The  lead  in  the  ore  was  one  of  the  agents 
or  means  by  which  this  result  was  obtained,  and  the  compa- 
ny I  believe  were  enabled  to  save  small  bars  as  long  as  the 
carbonates  of  lead  were  abundant ;  but  when  this  gave  out, 
then  litharage  was  purchased  to  aid  the  process  of  separation, 
and  much  of  the  lead  added  to  the  ores  for  this  purpose  was 
dissipated  and  lost.  The  difiiculty  encountered  arose  from 
the  presence  of  so  much  zinc,  which,  in  attempting  to  volatil- 
ize, dissipated  the  lea^also,  and  which  no  doubt  carried  in  its 
vapours  some  of  the^ilver  and  gold  with  it.  But  I  have 
dwelt  perhaps  too  long  upon  this  branch  of  the  subject. 

The  rock  of  the  country  is  a  clay  slate,  reddish,  striped  and 
greenish,  totally  or  partially  changed  into  a  hard  rock.  It 
often  contains  beds  of  extremely  fine  silex  suitable  for  hones, 
and  also  masses  which  are  porphyrized.  Beds  also  of  breccia 
and  brecciated  conglomerates  are  common.  The  formation 
belongs  to  the  sedimentary  series,  and  to  that  system  which 
I  have  denominated  the  Taconic  system.  The  evidence 
which  I  have  been  able  to  gather  respecting  the  age  of  the 
vein  fissures  of  this  mine  is,  that  it  is  of  the  same  period  as 
the  auriferous  veins  in  the  same  formation.  There  is  a  paral- 
lelism and  a  general  resemblance  in  the  characteristics  of  all 
these  repositories ;  and  there  has  not  as  yet  come  to  light  any 
fact  which  discredits  the  foregoing  conclusion.  For  these 
reasons,  therefore,  I  have  been  disposed  to  look  upon  the  au- 
riferous veins  of  the  slate,  and  those  which  carry  the  com- 
plex combinations,  as  all  belonging  to  one  epoch.  Upon  the 
east  side  of  Silver  Hill,  or  the  Washington  mine,  the  heavy 
bed  or  porphyrized  breccia  passes  on  to  the  north  east  ;•  it  is 
the  same  mass  which  is  so  perfectly  developed  near  the  Nar- 
rows upon  the  Yadkin,  and  passes  within  two  miles  of  Gold 
Hill  and  forms  the  Flat  Swamp  mountain,  and  from  thence 
passes  Silver  Hill,  leaving  the  mine  upon  the  West.  Four- 
and-a-half  miles  farther  north  easterly  the  same  rock  passes 


186  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL  SIIEVET. 

tlirongh  the  plantation  of  David  Beck,  near  tlie  Headrick 
copper  mine,  and  from  thence  passing  in  the  same  direction, 
forms  the  Three  Hat  mountain  sonth  of  Conrad  Hill.  This 
persistent  porphyrized  rock  would  be  expected  to  preserve  the 
same  relations  to  the  mines  or  veins  upon  its  west  side,  but 
this  does  not  occur ;  for  at  the  distance  of  about  six  miles 
north  easterly,  I  found  the  "Washington  silver  lead  mines  to 
reappear  upon  the  east  side  of  this  singular  belt,  in  which  I 
have  rarely  found  productive  mineral  veins,  though  quartz 
veins  are  very  common.  So  also  I  may  notice  the  fact  in  this 
place,  that  the  Headrick  copper  mine  is  a  slate  which  cannot 
be  distinguished  from  that  of  Grold  Hill,  and  the  mineral  mat- 
ter of  the  vein  resembles  so  closely  that  of  the  Earnhardt 
vein,  that  they  cannot  be  distinguisMd.  It  appears,  there- 
fore, that  these  veins  reappear  on  the  east  side  of  this  breccia, 
but  never  appear  in  it — or  they  come  up  to  the  surface  from 
six  to  twenty  miles  from  the  most  important  points  where 
they  are  now  worked.  These  facts  are  well  illustrated  in  the 
Washington  mine,  near  the  residence  of  Mr.  A.  J.  Moore,  on 
the  fork  of  the  Salisbury  and  Lexington  roads.  The  zinc,  lead 
and  copper  were  struck  in  a  shaft  designed  to  be  sunk  upon 
a  gold  bearing  vein,  and  accompanied  with  the  peculiar  slates 
and  minerals  of  the  "Washington  veins,  so  perfect  that  no  one 
would  have  suspected  that  they  were  taken  at  a  point  six 
miles  to  the  north  east. 

The  veins  of  the  "Washington  mine  traverse  the  crest  of 
a  low  rounded  hill,  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  above  the 
adjacent  valley.  The  veins  were  exposed  by  the  plough,  or 
in  the  cultivation  of  this  field,  and  their  outcrop  was  scarcely 
observable;  they  presented  nothing  prominent  or  striking, 
and  were  accompanied  with  the  usual  quartz  veins.  Upon 
the  west  side  of  the  vein,  the  rock  is  also  rather  thick  bedded 
and  hard,  but  not  porphyrized.  The  slates  adjacent  to  the 
vein  are  soft,  and  of  various  colors.  The  immediate  rocks 
of  the  mine,  or  those  which  may  be  said  to  invest  it,  are  uni- 
formly hard  rocks.  The  mine  consists  of  two  heavy  veins, 
pursuing  in  depth  a  nearly  parallel  course ;  and  the  smaller 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  187 

veins  less  perfectly  developed,  and  which  have  been  discov- 
ered by  the  underground  workings. 

As  this  mine  is  one  of  the  most  important  and  valuable  in 
North-Carolina,  and  as  it  is  geologically  important,  I  shall 
state  with  as  much  minuteness  as  possible  the  numerous 
changes  which  it  undergoes  or  has  undergone  during  the  time 
it  has  been  worked.  These  changes  do  not,  however,  differ 
in  character  from  those  which  have  been  observed  in  other 
mines,  and  as  they  indeed  correspond,  the  idea  is  sustained 
that  all  these  repositories  are  more  or  less  regular  in  their 
structure,  and  conform  to  certain  rules. 

The  two  principal  veins  are  explored  by  three  perpendicu- 
lar shafts.  They  are  sunk  in  the  rock  of  the  country,  and 
hence  furnish  information  respecting  the  rock  adjacent  to  the 
lodes  as  well  as  the  structure  and  composition  of  the  lodes 
themselves.,  of  which  the  two  principal  are  termed  the  east 
and  west  lodes.  Upon  the  east  lode,  the  first  shaft  of  sixty 
feet  was  the  first  which  penetrated  this  rich  metaliferous  for- 
mation. It  begins  upon  the  outcrop  of  the  east  vein,  and 
hence  passes  down  behind  it.  At  the  depth  of  forty  feet  a 
cross  cut  was  made  to  the  west  which  intersected  both  lodes 
at  this  depth.  This  cross  cut  extends  to  the  west  side  of  the 
west  vein,  and  is  thirty-eight  feet  long ;  from  this  it  appears 
that  the  veins  had  made  to  the  west  twenty  feet  in  forty. 
Tlie  shaft  passes  through  soft  rock,  or  that  which  is  disinte- 
grated, and  it  is  not  until  the  sixty  feet  level  is  attained  that 
the  rock  becomes  hard  and  firm.  The  distance  between  the 
two  veins  is  twenty-eight  feet.  The  underlie  or  dip  is  sixt}'-- 
eight  feet,  and  to  the  west. 

The  next  shaft  is  sunk  twenty-eight  feet  to  the  west  of  the 
west  lode.  It  intersects  the  west  vein  at  one  hundred  feet, 
(100.)  The  appearance  of  the  lodes  in  the  upper  part  is  that 
of  yellowish  white  or  frequently  silvery  substance,  both  soft 
and  friable,  in  which  the  mineral  matter  is  not  very  distinct. 
The  vein  stone  is  a  talcose  slate  more  or  less  disintegrated, 
which  envelops  or  conceals  the  metal,  though  its  weight  is 
perceptibly  greater  than  that  of  common  stone  or  rock.  It 
was  however  in  this  material  that  silver  was  first  recognized ; 


• 


188  NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

it  was  found  both  in  tlie  native  state,  and  in  combination  with 
galena.  It  was  also  in  this  level,  or  near  it,  (60  feet)  that 
gold  was  first  detected  in  both  veins.  In  a  state  of  jDurity 
the  quantity  has  not  been  exceeded.  The  east  vein  has  car- 
ried more  silver  than  the  west,  and  the  difference  in  this  res- 
pect between  them  has  been  so  perceptible,  that  the  east  has 
been  called  the  silver,  and  the  west  the  lead  vein.  The  space 
between  is  occupied  for  one  hundred  feet  by  soft  slate,  but 
traces  of  mineral  matter  pervade  this  mass,  though  somewhat 
disguised  by  the  soft  and  pasty  talcose  slate.  The  spaces  be- 
tween the  hanging  wall  of  the  west  vein,  and  the  foot  wall  of 
the  east,  is  twenty-eight  feet  in  both  the  forty  and  sixty  feet 
levels.  The  ground  becomes  gradually  firmer  as  the  shafts 
descend. 

The  working  of  the  vein  along  the  sixty  foot  level,  disclos- 
ed an  interesting  geological  fact ;  the  approximation  and  in- 
deed coalescence  of  the  two  lodes,  which  gave  a  width  of 
twenty  feet.  This  conjunction  sustains  the  common  belief, 
that  where  two  lodes  come  together  their  richness  is  increas- 
ed ;  it  was  so  in  this  instance.  The  lodes,  however,  though 
they  come  together  do  not  cross,  they  soon  separate,  and 
then  resume  very  nearly  the  same  relations  and  distance  they 
had  prior  to  their  junction.  But  at  the  junction  the  silver 
was  in  part  transferred  to  the  west  lode  ;  it  became  richer  for 
the  time  than  the  east  lode.  At  this  point  also  manganese 
appears  in  the  space  between  the  veins,  and  the  beautiful 
carbonates  and  phosphates  of  lead  were  also  abundant  here. 
These  were  associated  with  the  silicates  and  carbonates  of 
copper,  and  foliated  native  silver. 

At  the  depth  of  one  hundred  feet,  the  volume  of  the  lodes 
and  the  included  metals  has  perceptibly  increased,  Tlie  walls 
r»f  the  veins  and  the  rock  have  become  firmer  and  harder. 
Tlie  lodes  assume  a  more  permanent  character.  Besides 
these  indications  of  a  favorable  Idnd,  another  vein  is  disclos- 
ed, which  contains  also  silver  in  connection  with  lead,  accom- 
panied as  usual  with  zinc,  twelve  feet  to  the  east  of  the  east 
vein ;  it  first  appears  at  about  the  depth  of  eighty  feet.  It  is 
not  parallel  with  the  two  larger  veins,  but  may  be  regarded 


NORTH-CAROLmA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  189 

as  a  cross  course  which  will  intersect  them.  Another  small 
vein  also  was  disclosed  by  the  workings  upon  the  one  hun- 
dred feet  level  containing  the  usual  metals  of  the  main  re- 
positories on  the  west  side  of  the  west  vein,  it  was  intersect- 
ed by  the  cross  cut  from  the  engine  shaft  in  the  west  vein ; 
it  dips  to  the  eastward.     It  is  called  the  little  west  vein. 

Levels  have  been  driven  at  the  sixty  foot  levels  two  hun- 
dred and  forty-seven  feet  on  the  east,  and  three  hundred  feet 
upon  the  west  vein.' 

The  west  vein  between  the  sixty  and  one  hundred  foot 
levels  expanded  and  yielded  also  rich  silver  ores,  and  below" 
the  one  hundred  foot  level,  the  working  results  were  uncom- 
monly favorable,  owing  to  the  presence  of  the  massive  car- 
bonates which  yielded  thirty  per  cent,  of  lead  comprising  the 
silver.  So  also  the  vein  stuff  of  the  west  lode  from  sixty  to 
two  hundred  feet  level  changed  from  the  hght  and  rather 
earthy  looking  mass,  and  small  specific  gravity,  to  the  heavy 
and  crystalized  carbonates  and  phosphates,  and  to  a  black  po- 
rous argentiferous  galena  native  silver  and  blende.  The 
lead  was,  however,  much  less  than  the  smelter  of  the  ore  de- 
sired. This  admixture  was  unequal.  The  lode  in  this  neigh- 
borhood has  become  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  thick ;  but  the 
expanded  portions  are  not  so  well  defined  as  the  narrow  parts, 
and  the  cavities  in  the  walls  become  what  the  miners  term 
"vw^^,"  in  which,  however,  there  are  valuable  accumulations 
of  metals. 

At  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  foot  level,  it  is  perceived 
that  the  dip  of  the  vein  has  changed,  having  become  steeper  ; 
its  underlie  is  now  63°  from  the  horizon ;  and  this  underlie 
continues  to  increase  in  its  descent,  and  both  veins  preserve 
iheir  relations,  that  is,  both  become  steeper,  though  they  are 
now  thirty  two  feet  apart.  A  change  of  dip  of  this  kind  has 
been  regarded  as  favorable  to  the  increase  of  metal  in  the 
lodes ;  and  such  is  the  fact  in  this  instance.  The  lodes  at  this 
level  expand  also  into  vugs,  which  are  occupied  with  black 
steel  grained  zinc  ore,  with  galena  interspersed  with  arbores- 
cent foliated  and  filiform  native  silver,  as  well  as  that  which 


is  still  in  combination  with  the  lead.     The  black  ore  of  thia 


190  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL  SUEVET. 

level  contains  from  forty-nine  to  fifty-two  per  cent,  of  silver- 
lead;  which  yields  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  and  eighty 
ounces  of  silver  to  the  ton  of  metal.  A  variety  still  richer, 
called  the  hlue  ore,  and  which  is  intersj)ersed  with  the  other 
ore  unequally,  gave  Prof.  Booth, 

Of  Lead,        88.       ' 

Of  Silver,        2.875  per  c^nt. 

This  astonishing  result,  it  must  be  recollected,  cannot  be 
obtained  from  the  great  mass  of  ore,  it  is  obtained  only  from 
comparatively  small  masses,  unequally  distributed  through 
the  vein  at  certain  places. 

The  most  important  facts  disclosed  in  these  lower  levels  are, 
that  the  lodes  have  become  more  decisive  in  their  tone  and 
character,  or  in  their  general  features.  They  are  wider,  the 
mineral  matter  heavier  and  more  solid,  or  less  intermixed 
with  gangue.  The  mineral  matter  has  increased,  and  the 
precious  metals,  gold  and  silver,  have  by  no  means  duiiinish- 
ed  in  quantity,  but  have  rather  increased  in  the  same  ratio 
with  that  of  the  lead  and  zinc  and  copper. 

At  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet,  the  east  lode  has  regained, 
as  it  were,  its  predominance  in  silver.  Arborescent  silver  is 
frequently  obtained,  and  the  south  end  of  the  lode  con- 
tained better  silver-lead  than  had  been  seen  in  the  upper 
levels.  The  east  lode  is  now  ten  feet  wide,  but  at  one  point 
it  is  split  into  two  parts  by  intervening  hard  rock.  This  dis- 
appears before  it  reaches  the  two  hundred  foot  level.  It  is 
singular  that  the  west  lode  is  also  split  at  this  level  in  the 
same  manner,  and  disappears  at  about  the  same  time.  In 
the  west  lode,  the  mineral  contents  consist  of  an  admixture  of 
zinc  and  argentiferous  lead  ores.  The  vein  fissure  has  ex- 
panded about  seven  feet  more.  The  lower  parts  of  both  fis- 
sures is  filled  with  hard  blende  mixed  with  lead  and  silver. 
The  minerals  are  also  contorted  and  twisted. 

The  east  lode  at  two  hundred  feet  has  increased  in  argen- 
tiferous galena,  and  the  ore  consists  of  from 

40 — 50  per  cent,  of  Zinc, 

15 — 20  per  cent,  of  Lead, 
25  per  cent,  of  Sulphur, 
20  per  cent,  of  Iron  Silica  and  Alumina. 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   STJEVEY. 


191 


The  east  vein  has  maintained  its  character  for  greater  rich- 
ness in  silver  between  the  one  hundred  and  sixty  and  two 
hundred  foot  levels,  Next  to  the  foot  wall  the  zinc  and  sil- 
ver-lead is  hard,  and  more  abundant  there,  but  at  the  same 
time  both  are  distributed  through  the  vein. 

The  west  lode  at  two  hundred  feet  is  from  ten  to  sixteen 
feet  thick,  and  it  is  said  that  the  amount  of  silver  and  galena 
has  increased,  or  is  increasing,  as  the  last  ten  feet  yielded 
better  results  than  had  been  obtained  before  from  this  lode. 
Both  veins,  it  appears,  are  becoming  steeps  at  the  lowest 
points  at  which  they  have  been  explored,  being  at  the  depth 
of  one  hundred  to  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet — as  one  to  two 
in  inclination;  an  indication  which,  as  has  been  already 
stated,  is  to  be  taken  as  a  favorable  omen. 

It  appears  from  the  foregoing  statements  that  it  some- 
times happens,  when  two  lodes  are  in  such  close  proximity, 
that  one  is  rich  and  the  other  poor  alternately ;  but  in  this 
case,  both  seem  to  go  on  increasing  slowly  in  richness  at  the 
same  time,  for  the  eastern  vein  between  the  hundred  and 
seventy  foot  level  and  the  two  hundred  contained  the  most 
silver ;  and  a  pocket,  as  it  is  called,  was  found  at  this  depth 
which  had  a  breadth  in  the  vein  of  two  feet,  which  gave  more 
silver  than  any  part  which  had  been  before  met  with. 

The  Symonds  vein  as  it  is  called,  which  was  struck  twelve 
feet  to  the  east  of  the  east  vein,  scarcely  differs  from  the  pre- 
ceding one  in  its  general  characteristics.  It  contains  speci- 
mens which  show  that  it  has  undergone  the  same  changes — 
the  transformation  of  galena  into  carbonate  and  phosphate  of 
lead,  where  the  needful  conditions  existed ;  as  at  the  more 
superficial  parts  of  the  vein.  Both  galena  and  carbonate  of 
lead  exist  together  in  the  same  specimen.  Although  its  ca- 
pacity is  less  than  the  old  veins,  it  is  still  competent  to  supply 
a  large  quantity.  It  is  supposed  by  some  geologists,  that  in 
the  existence  of  vugs,  or  cavities,  a  black  color  and  a  porous 
slaggy  slate  denotes  the  action  of  fire.  These  conditions, 
however,  are  often  the  results  of  decomposition  which  has 
slowly  taken  place,  and  water  frequently  produce  changes 
which  similate  those  of  fire  or  heat. 


192  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

I  alluded  in  the  beginning  of  this  chapter  to  the  imperfect 
results  which  were  obtained  in  the  smelting  of  the  complex 
ores  of  the  Washington  mine.  In  order  to  illustrate  this  im- 
portant matter,  I  shall  quote  a  paragraph  from  a  report  made 
to  the  stockholders  of  this  mine  by  H.  Schoonmaker,  Esq., 
Chairman  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  It  shows  the  loss  which 
the  first  company  were  obliged  to  sustain  in  attempting  to 
separate  the  silver  and  gold ;  and  so  common  was  the  result, 
that  the  public  lost  confidence  in  the  enterprise,  and  regarded 
this  valuable  uaiue  as  another  failure  in  this  branch  of  bu- 
siness. ^^ 

It  appears  that  on  the  4th  of  August,  1851,  the  furnaces 
were  charged  with  9,600  lbs.  of  roasted  ore,  equal  to  20  per 
cent.,  or  1,920  lbs.  lead ;  and  900 lbs.  litharage — 93,  Or  837  lbs.; 
and  the  production  of  the  week  was  513  lbs.,  or  by  the  ope- 
rations, a  loss  had  been  sustained  of  32'±  lbs.  of  lead  less  than 
the  litharage  which  had  been  put,  in  the  furnace,  and  also  the 
1,920  lbs.  contained  in  the  ore,  making  in  the  aggregate  a 
loss  of  3,214  lbs.  of  lead  in  one  week's  operation,  in  addition 
to  the  bullion  that  accompanied  it.  On  the  8th  of  S6pt.,  there 
was  put  into  the  furnace  9,750  lbs,  of  roasted  ore  equaling  20 
per  cent.,  or  6,950  lbs.  of  lead  and  975  lbs.  of  litharage, 
equaling  93  per  cent,  or  905  lbs.,  amounting  to  2,855  lbs. 
Tlie  production  was  only  513  lbs.,  from  which  a  loss  was  sus- 
tained of  2,342  lbs.,  with  its  bullion. 

The  eifect  of  these  losses  required  the  labor  of  60  men,  a 
steam  engine  of  60  horse  power,  5  horses,  the  consumption  of 
14  cords  of  wood,  and  400  bushels  of  charcoal  per  day.  The 
foregoing  are  perhaps  extreme  examples,  but  wath  much  less 
loss,  the  influence  w^ould  be  at  once  ruinous,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  extreme  richness  of  the  ore,  which  gave  in  the  513  lbs. 
of  lead  a  large  quantity  of  silver.  It  was  knownj  long 
ago  that  zinc  and  lead  could  not  be  smelted  together,  as  one 
requires  only  the  heat  of  fusion,  while  the  other,  zinc,  re- 
quires that  of  volatilization.  ■  It  follows,  therefore,  that  it  is 
indispensable  that  the  lead  and  zinc  should  be  separated  be- 
fore they  are  put  into  the  furnace,  and  it  is  a  fortunate  fact 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  193 

that  the  precious  metals  in  the  mixture  are  not  attached  to 
the  zinc. 

The  present  mode  of  operating  at  the  "Washington  mine 
gives  much  better  results  than  those  I  have  just  alluded  to. 
The  favorable  returns  obtained  at  present  depend  upon  a  me- 
chanical separation  of  the  zinc  from  the  silver, -prior  to  its 
introduction  into  the  smelting  furnace.  This  is  effected  by 
Bradford's  Separators,  which,  after  the  pulverization  of  the 
Bulphurets,  is  detached  from  the  galena  by  a  simple  shaking 
movement  of  a  plate  of  copper,  aided  by  water,  over  which 
the  metals  are  passing.  The  separation  is  possible,  in  conse- 
quence of  the  slight  difference  in  the  specific  gravity  of  the 
compounds.  "When  the  zinc  is  separated,  the  process  of  re- 
duction in  the  furnace  resolves  itself  into  an  easy  and  certain 
operation.  The  old  process  attempted  the  entire  volatiliza- 
tion of  zinc  by  heat,  which  of  course  was  lost,  and  which,  too, 
carried  off  the  bullion  as  well  as  the  lead.  By  the  new 
method,  the  zinc  is  saved  by  a  much  cheaper  process  than 
that  of  volatilization,  while  at  the  same  time  the  other  metals 
are  not  wasted.  The  blende  which  is  saved,  can  be  converted 
into  a  white  paint. 

As  the  processes  are  now  only  in  their  incipient  stage,  I  do 
not  propose  to  give  in  full  the  results  which  have  been  ob- 
tained. It  is,  however,  estimated,  that  the  expenses  for  min- 
ing, the  engine  work,  including  the  use  of  six  cords  of  wood 
per  day,  two  engineers,  the  roasting  of  ores,  breaking  and 
pulverizing,  etc.j  will  amount  to  seventy  dollars  per  day. 

As  the  ore  is  abundant,  and  as  the  means  now  at  hand  will 
enahle  the  proprietors  to  smelt  three  tons  of  the  silver-lead 
ore  per  day,  which  is  worth  one  hundred  dollars  per  ton,  con- 
taining also  bullion  amounting  to  one  hundred  ounces  to  each 
ton  of  lead,  and  which  is  worth-ten  dollars  per  ounce,  it  is 
evident  that  very  handsome  profits  must  be  realized  from  the 
Washington  silver  mine. 

§  196.  Th&  north-eastern  extremity  of  the  Washington  8il- 
mr  vnine. — Three  miles  west  of  Spencer's  PostofBce,  and  near 
the  residence  of  A.  J.  Moore,  Esq.,  a  vein  of  metal,  identi- 
cal in  appearance  with  that  of  the  Washington  mine,  was  ex- 
13 


% 


194:  '  NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

posed  in  sinking  a  shaft  for  the  recovery  of  a  gold-bearing 
vein,  by  the  late  John  Ward,  Esq.  It  does  not  appear  at  the 
surface ;  the  slate  is  closed  above,  and  hence  there  was  no 
appearance  of  a  vein,  until  the  shaft  had  penetrated  into  the 
rock  six  feet.  Its  discovery  was  therefore  accidental ;  but 
may  be  regarded  as  a  fact  interesting  in  itself,  independent 
of  the  economical  value  of  the  discovery.  The  ore  is  the  sil- 
ver-lead ore,  of  a  fine  grain  and  texture,  intermixed  with 
blende.  The  vein  stone  appears  to  be  talc,  or  a  soft  white 
earthy  substance,  in  which  scaly  talc  abounds. 

The  ore,  so  far  as  it  is  known,  scarcely  differs  in  composi- 
tion from  that  of  the  "Washington  mine.  Even  a  porous  lava 
looking  vein  stone,  which  is  often  seen  at  the  Washington 
mine,  is  a,lso  present  at  this  locality.  Indeed  there  is  the 
same  singular  mixture  of  blende,  galena,  copper  and  iron  py- 
rites, carrying  gold,  as  at  the  mine  already  referred  to ;  the 
similarity  extending  to  the  numerous  varieties  of  minerals 
which  also  occur  at  the  Washington  mine. 

The  vein  fissure  is  distinct  and  well  developed  in  the  rock, 
and  contains  a  large  amount  of  metal,  arranged  in  lamina,  in 
which  talc  is  frequently  the  most  prominent  substance.  The 
vein  is  from  three  to  six  feet  wide ;  but  as  the  shaft  is  shal- 
low, it  is  impossible  to  gain  the  information  required  to  form 
an  opinion  respecting  its  value. 

McMackin  silver  mine  is  one  mile  and  a-half  south-west  of 
Gold  Hill,  and  in  the  same  formations.  The  minerals  however 
which  accompany  the  metals  are  quite  different.  The  vein  con- 
sists of  sulphuret  of  lead  and  zinc  intermixed  in  the  same  man- 
ner as  in  the  Washington  mine  at  Gold  Hill.  The  grain  of  each 
is  fine  and  sparkling.  The  pieces  lying  about  the  mine  con- 
tain more  zinc  than  lead.  How,  or  in  what  proportions  they 
are  distributed  in  the  mine  I  was  unable  to  learn — the  old 
shafts  having  fallen  in.  The  rock  is  talcose  slate ;  the  vein 
stone  a  massive  dolomite,  colored  with  manganese,  and  often 
of  a  delicate  rose  color.  The  manganese  changes  the  appear- 
ance of  the  rock  after  having  been  exposed  to  the  atmos- 
phere a  few  years:  it  becomes  brown,  and  often  black.  Sil- 
very talc  is  disseminated  throughout  the  vein,  and  often  di- 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 


196 


rides  the  sulplmrets  into  laminated  masses.  It  appears  that 
the  vein  was  earthy  at  its  outcrop,  the  metals  having  been 
removed,  or  their  place  occupied  by  earthy  substances. 

At  the  depth  of  sixty  feet  in  the  shaft  sunk  upon  the  vein 
the  sulphurets  are  said  to  form  a  solid  mass  two  feet  thick  in 
the  middle  of  a  six  foot  vein,  the  sides  being  occupied  by  the 
manganesian  dolomite.  The  information  respecting  the  ore 
in  the  shaft  M^as  derived  from  Mr.  Idler,  a  mining  engineer  ^^ 
of  note  residing  at  Gold  Hill. 

The  amount  of  the  sulphurets  upon  the  surface  corroborates 
his  statement.  Some  of  the  pieces  were  mostly  a  silver  lead, 
resembling  that  of  the  Washington  mine.  Others  were  mix- 
tures of  galena  and  blende,  resembling  also  that  of  the  lo- 
cality referred  to. 

The  probability  therefore  is,  that  this  mine  is  a  very  valu- 
able one ;  and  as  success  attends  the  operations  at  the  Wash- 
ington mine,  an  ore  like  this,  it  is  hoped  that  it  may  be  tested 
in  a  large  way.  Tlie  phosphates  and  carbonates  of  lead,  to- 
gether with  sulphate  of  barytes  occur  at  this  mine,  though 
not  as  beautiful  as  those  of  the  Washington  mine.  Among 
the  earthy  minerals  I  observed  stealite,  and  a  fine  variety  of 
it  equal  to  French  chalk  for  marking,  and  fine  green  talc ; 
a  fine  variety  of  columnar  flesh  colored  dolomite,  and  the 
earthy  black  oxide  of  manganese.  The  dolomite  is  upon  the 
walls  of  the  vein,  and  is  concretionary,  or  in  the  form  of 
ovoid  tough  masses  coated  with  talc,  which  is  also  dissemi- 
nated in  the  interior. 

No  attempts  have  been  made  to  smelt  this  ore,  but  the  in- 
dications are  so  promising  that  it  is  desirable  that  the  pro- 
prietor of  the  mine  should  undertake  the  task,  seeing  that  the 
zinc  which  accompanies  the  metals  may  be  separated  from 
them  mechanically,  and  at  trifling  expense. 


196  NOKTH-CAKOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  STJUVET. 


CHAPTER  XXYI. 

Repositories  of  the  Metals  continued —  Veins  belonging  t9 
Granite — Copper  considered  as  one  of  the  Metals  accompor 
nying  Gold — Copper  Veins  of  the  granitic  formation-^ 
^orth- Carolina  and  other  Copper  Mines  of  the  granitic 
districts. 

§  197.  The  establishment  of  the  fact  that  copper  ores  may 
be  profitably  worked  in  ^North-Carolina,  formed  a  new  era  in 
the  mining  enterprises  of  this  State.  It  is  scarcely  second  to 
that  of  gold.  The  sulphuret  of  copper  and  iron,  or  copper 
pyrites,  or  which  is  the  same  thing,  the  yellow  sulphuret  of 
copper,  had  been  encountered  in  many  of  the  mines  which 
were  worked  for  gold ;  but  it  was  always  an  unwelcome  at- 
tendant of  the  gold  ores,  and  when  it  formed  a  considerable 
proportion  of  the  lode,  it  led  to  its  abandonment.  The  sepa- 
ration of  the  gold  became  more  difficult  and  expensive,  and 
indeed,  the  process  pursued  for  the  separation  of  gold,  as  it 
was  usually  or  frequently  conducted,  only  a  small  part  was 
obtained ;  and  if  any  process  was  resorted  to  to  aid  the  ope- 
ration, as  heating  or  roasting,  some  of  the  pyrites  was  re- 
duced to  a  metalic  state,  and  an  alloy  of  gold  and  copper  was 
obtained,  which  might  or  might  not  pay  the  expense  of  sepa- 
ration. 

The  first  attempt  at  working  a  mine  for  its  copper  was  the 
Fentress,  or  the  North-Carolina  Coppermine,  Guilford  county. 
It  was  recommended  as  a  test  mine  to  determine  the  ques- 
tion whether  this  ore  could  be  profitably  worked  by  the  per- 
sons having  charge  of  the  geological  survey.  Much  anxiety 
was  felt  upon  the  subject,  for  it  was  supposed  that  its  success 
would  operate  favorably  upon  this  branch  of  industry,  and  if 
it  failed,  it  was  expected  that  it  would  put  it  back,  and  retard 
for  a  time  this  most  important  branch  of  mining.  The  fear 
expressed,  however,  did  not  arise  from  a  want  of  confidence 
in  the  resources  of  the  mine,  but  in  the  mode  in  which  it 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVETf.  197 

might  be  conducted ;  and  it  turned  out  that  the  feehng  was 
pot  groundless.  The  beginning  of  the  enterprise  seemed  to 
be  highly  successful;  it  was  indeed  too  successful  in  one 
sense,  for  it  raised  expectations  which  could  not  be  realized. 
It  fell  into  the  hands  of  persons  who  knew  how  to  make  for 
themsel\^es  the  most  of  a  good  thing.  The  success,  however, 
Beemed  to  forsake  the  mine  after  six  or  eight  months,  and  the 
consequence  was,  that  its  stock  went  down  to  a  mere  nominal 
Bum ;  and  yet  there  was  no  time  when  confidence  in  its  re- 
sources should  have  been  lost ;  that  is,  it  possessed  those  char- 
acteristics which  were  sufficient  to  sustain  it — not  at  the  high 
and  extravagant  value  which  had  been  set  upon  it,  but  to 
sustain  it  at  the  price  which  was  paid  for  it.  For  a  time  it 
did  not  furnish  copper,  but  there  could  not  be  entertained  a 
doubt  but  that  it  would  be  struck  again.  But  to  a  stock- 
holder, one  who  had  paid  twice  as  much  for  it  as  it  was  worth, 
it  was  disastrous ;  he  must  submit  to  a  loss ;  and  so  it  ever 
will  be  under  similar  circumstances.  Those  who  first  issue 
stock  at  an  enormous  price,  reap  the  benefits  as  far  as  they 
can  sell ;  and  those  who  buy,  in  expectation  of  making  mo- 
ney by  the  earnings  of  the  mine,  must  lose — not  because  the 
mine  has  no  resources — not  because  it  is  worthless — but  be- 
cause it  is  only  half  as  valuable  as  it  is  represented  by  inter- 
ested persons. 

§  198.  The  E'orth-Carolina  Copper  mine  has  been  traced 
at  least  three  miles,  by  the  remarkable  show  of  quartz  which 
range  in  the  direction  of  its  strike.  The  parties  which  have 
been  interested  in  this  property  have  sunk  upon  the  vein  six 
shafts.  The  two  extremes  are  about  thi-ee-fourths  of  a  mile 
apart.  The  south-western  is  called  the  "Worth  shaft,  the  north- 
eastern was  sunk  under  the  direction  or  superintendence  of 
Mr.  Fentress.  At  each  of  those  points  where  the  vein  is  cut, 
it  may  be  known  by  its  common  characteristics.  The  direc- 
tion it  pursues  appears  to  be  N.  25°  30'  E,  The  vein  is  rather 
flat,  but  its  dip  is  variable  at  difi'erent  levels,  having  an  un- 
derlie of  38°,  45°,  50°  and  60°.  So  also  the  strike  is  known 
to  be  variable,  and  to  be  governed  apparently  by  the  slope  of 
the  country  above.    Thus  as  it  passes  from  the  south-west- 


1^8  NOBTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

ward  to  the  north-eastward  beneath  a  sloping  surface,  it  takes 
the  curve  of  the  hilh  This  surface  influence  is  not  uncom- 
mon in  the  veins  of  IS'orth-Carolina,  especially  where  the 
veins  are  flat.  An  example  of  this  kind  of  curve,  influenced 
bj,  or  rather  I  should  say  coinciding  with  the  surface  slopes, 
exists  in  one  of  the  veins  of  Conrad  Hill.  In  all  flat  veins  a 
departure  from  a  straight  or  direct  course  is  more  perceptible 
than  it  can  be  in  veins  nearly  vertical.  Flat  veins,  it  may  be 
said  in  this  place,  are  not  regarded  with  so  much  favor  as  the 
steep  veins.  The  miner  uses  this  language  respecting  them, 
,  "  they  are  lazy  veins,"  or,  in  other  words,  they  are  not  so  well 
filled  with  metals  as  the  steeper  ones ;  and  when  one  of  this 
character  becomes  steep,  it  is  found  to  become  richer  than 
when  it  was  flat. 

It  must  be  well  known  by  the  dear  results  of  experience 
in  cases  of  this  kind,  that  the  fall  in  nominal  value  cannot  be 
arrested  at  the  true  point  of  value ;  but  it  must  go  as  much 
below,  as  it  was  above,  its  value.  This  forms  the  basis  of 
Wall  street  operations ;  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  the  stock  of  this 
mine  never  will  go  above  its  par  value.  The  mJning  inter- 
ests require  that  the  profits  should  be  made  out  of  the  mine, 
from  legitimate  earnings ;  and  this  mode  of  making  money 
by  copper  or  any  other  metal,  is  perfectly  incompatible  with 
that  of  stock  jobbing.  The  mJning  interests  of  this  State 
suffered  from  the  mismanagement  of  this  and  two  or  three 
others ;  but  it  had  one  good  efl'ect,  it  drove  out  of  the  State 
for  the  time  the  mere  speculator.  It  only  requires  the  return 
of  sufiicient  confidence  in  its  mines  to  place  this  interest  on  a 
good  footing,  a  better  footing  than  if  no  disasters  had  occurred. 

§  199.  The  l^orth-Carolina  copper  mine  is  upon  the  eastern 
verge  of  the  sienitic  granite.  It  is,  therefore,  on  a  geologi- 
cal parallel  with  several  others  which  have  been  opened  in  a 
south-westerly  direction.  This  granite,  however,  does  not 
pursue  a  direct  or  straight  line.  As  it  approaches  Guilford 
county  from  the  south  west,  it  bends  to  the  east;  still  it  occu- 
pies the  same  relative  position  as  several  mines  in  Davidson, 
Rowan  and  Cabarrus.  All  these  mines  seem  to  have  been 
formed  in  the  thin  edge  of  the  granite.     It  is  along  the  thin- 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


199 


est  parts  of  the  rock,  that  trap  dykes  are  the  most  numerous, 
as  well  as  other  eruptive  rocks ;  and  very  few  vein  iissures  are 
known  in  the  central  and  thicker  part  of  it.  I  state  this  as  a 
fact ;  leaving  it  to  be  accounted  for  by  those  who  are  better 
acquainted  with  the  efficient  causes  which  have  been  instru- 
mental in  producing  geological  phenomina.  The  width  of 
the  vein  in  the  different  levels  and  at  different  shafts  is  ex- 
pected to  be  variable.  In  this  mine  the  following  statement 
of  these  variations  mav  be  interesting: 

At  the  Worth  shaft,  at  the  extreme  south  west,  the  vein  ia 
from  three  to  four  feet  thick,  at  the  depth  of  forty  feet.  At 
the  extreme  north  east,  it  is  three  feet  thick,  at  the  depth  of 
fifty-five  feet.  At  the  Colby  shaft  it  is  about  one  foot  thick 
at  forty  feet.     It  is  nearer  the  outcrop  than  the  preceding. 

In  the  lowest  level,  three  hundred  and  ten  feet,  the  fissure 
between  the  walls  is  from  seven  to  eight  feet,  and  in  parts  of 
the  level  expands  to  twelve  and  thirteen  feet.  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  improvement  in  the  vein  when  it  is  thus  expanded ; 
it  carries  about  the  same  quantity  of  copper  as  the  vein  of 
Beven  and  eight  feet,  and  it  has  this  disadvantage,  that  it  is 
more  scattered  through  the  gangue — more  vein  than  requires 
removal ;  and  hence  the  expense  of  stoping  is  increased. 
The  vein  shows  no  tendency  to  close  in  at  either  of  the  levels ; 
it  rather,  thus  far,  widens  in  its  descent,  and  it  is  compactly 
filled  with  vein  stone  throughout,  though,  unfortunately,  it  is 
often  but  vein  stone  poor  in  copper.  As  in  most  cases  of 
mining  in  this  State,  there  is  a  timidity  in  prosecuting  the 
work.  It  is  well  known  that  copper  is  not  a  surface  metal. 
In  an  instance  where  a  vein  is  so  well  developed,  there  can 
be  but  one  successful  plan  of  working,  that  of  sinking  shafts 
to  the  proper  depth,  or  to  that  point  where  experience  has 
proved  in  other  mining  districts  that  this  metal  is  generally 
found.  While  it  is  notorious  in  this  mine  that  the  fissure  is 
compactly  filled,  it  is  quite  singular  that  the  lode  of  copper 
shifts  its  position.  It  lies,  for  example,  upon  the  foot  wall  for 
thirty  or  forty  feet,  when  suddenly  it  curves  upward,  and  fol- 
lows for  a  distance  of  twenty  or  thirty  feet  again,  the  hanging 


m 


NORTH-CAKOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 


wail ;  or  without  a  curve,  it  suddenly  leaves  one  wall  and 
takes  to  the  other. 

The  foregoing  statement  applies  to  the  shiftings  of  a  solid 
shoot  of  ore.  In  addition  to  these  shoots,  the  copper  is  dis- 
tributed in  masses  through  the  vein  stone,  which  has  been  at 
times  very  equable ;  in  others,  less  so ;  occasionally  it  is  in 
nests  or  solid  insulated  masses  eighteen  or  twenty  inches 
long,  and  seven  or  eight  inches  thick. 

§  200.  The  vein  stone  consists  of  two  substances,  quartz 
and  carbonate  of  iron.  Or  it  may  be,  that  the  carbonate  of 
iron  should  be  regarded  not  as  a  vein  stone  or  gangue  proper, 
but  one  of  the  metallic  substances  carried.  But  the  copper 
is  intermixed  in  it,  or  often  distributed  through  it,  as  in  other 
vein  stones.  Spaces  have  been  filled  with  quartz  and  carbo- 
nate of  iron,  which  contained  only  traces  of  copper  pyrites. 
These  intervals  which  are  marked  by  the  total  absence  of 
metal  are  rare,  but  in  one  irstance  it  extended  sixt}'^  feet  in 
length.  In  those  spaces  where  the  copper  is  absent,  the 
quartz  may  be  regarded  as  the  vein  stone,  and  the  carbonate 
of  iron  as  the  metaL  Tliese  spaces  seem  to  alternate  ;  for  in 
the  lowest  level  the  quartz  carries  the  metal,  and  the  carbo- 
nate of  iron  is  absent. 

§  201.  The  foregoing  statements  respecting  the  North- 
Carolina  copper  mine  presents  the  most  important  peculiari- 
ties which  I  have  been  able  to  observe,  as  well  as  those  which 
are  common  to  the  veins  which  traverse  the  granitic  forma- 
tion. I  say  granitic  formation,  for  I  conceive  there  are  strik- 
ing differences  existing  between  those  which  belong  to  the 
granite  and  those  of  the  slate  formation ;  for  although  quartz 
is  a  vein  stone  common  to  each,  yet  there  are  associations  of 
other  minerals  which  seem  to  be  peculiar  to  each.  Thus  car- 
bonate of  iron  is  at  least  a  more  constant  associate  of  copper 
in  the  copper  veins  in  the  granitic  district,  than  with  those  in 
the  slate.  Conrad  Hill,  which  is  really  in  a  slate  district,  con- 
tains, it  is  true,  carbonate  of  iron  ;  but  its  presence  seems  to 
be  due  to  an  enormous  mass  of  eruptive  rock,  which  tra- 
verses the  southeastern  side  of  the  hill.    Tliis  mine  is,  there- 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  201 

fore,  placed  in  a  position  which  makes  it  quite  analogous  to 
those  belonging  to  the  belt  of  granite, 

§  202.  Considering  the  time  during  which  the  North-Caro- 
lina mine  has  been  worked,  the  metal  which  it  has  produced 
cannot  be  regarded  as  very  extraordinary ;  at  the  same  time, 
when  the  circumstances  which  have  attended  the  working  of 
the  mine  are  considered,  it  is  at  least  worthy  of  note,  and 
probably  as  great  as  could  be  expected.  The  whole  amount 
in  barrels  which  have  been  sent  to  market  is  three  thousand 
and  five  hundred.  The  aggregate  weight  is  between  four- 
teen and  fifteen  hundred  tons  (1,400  and  1,600  tons.)  The 
per  centage  of  copper  has  never  exceeded  twenty-three  per 
cent.,  and  none  has  been  shipped  which  yielded  less  than 
fourteen  per  cent,  of  copper. 

The  cost  of  transporting  a  ton  of  copper  to  Boston  by  way 
of  Wilmington  is  thirteen  dollars,  ($13,00.)  The  twenty  per 
cent,  ore  is  worth,  at  the  present  time,  in  Boston,  four  dollars 
and  seventy-five  cents  per  cent,  per  ton,  or  ninty-five  dollars 
per  ton.  The  mine,  therefore,  seems  to  have  yielded  one 
hundred  and  thirty-three  thousand  dollars,  ($133,000,)  save 
expenses  of  mining,  transportation,  &c.  But  it  should  be  re- 
collected that  a  fifteen  per  cent,  ore  must  be  included  in  the 
aggregate  quantity  which  has  been  shipped;  and  hence  the 
amount  of  cash  received  for  ore  will  be  considerably  dimin- 
ished. The  estimate,  however,  is  hard  on  the  present  value 
of  ore ;  its  value  has  been  greater  than  it  is  now.  We  can- 
not, therefore,  state  the  exact  sum  which  has  been  realized 
from  the  sale  of  ore ;  but  it  would  seem  that  the  mine  should 
have  made  something,  notwithstanding  its  early  bad  man- 
agement. 

The  present  shoot  of  ore  in  the  three  hundred  and  ten  foot' 
le.vel  is  between  eighty  and  ninety  feet  long,  mostly  of  solid 
copper ;  its  thickest  part  is  about  thirty-four  inches.  The 
mass  lies  upon  the  foot  wall.  To  reach  the  shoot  of  ore,  be- 
tween sixty  and  seventy  feet  of  barren  vein  had  to  be  pene- 
trated. This  shoot  came  in  in  October  last,  and  it  still  holds 
out,  giving  to  the  proprietors  a  very  fair  prospect  of  remu- 
nerating returns. 


202 


NOETH-CAEOLINA    GEOLOQICAL   SURVEY. 


As  this  mine  is  still  regarded  as  a  test  mine  for  North-Caro- 
lina, its  affairs  are  watched  with  a  good  deal  of  interest 
Other  veins  which  resemble  this  may  be  opened  on  the  east- 
ern border  of  the  granite  formation.  If  it  should  prove  a 
paying  mine,  adventurers  will  not  be  wanting  to  try  their 
fortunes  in  several  which  are  already  known  in  Guilford,  Da- 
vidson and  Cabarrus  counties.  The  encouragement  for  pene- 
trating this  lode  still  farther  is  found  in  the  regularity  of  its 
formation,  in  which  respect,  it  is  as  perfect  as  Wall  Street  it- 
self The  fissure  is  well  developed,  and  is  wide  enough  to 
satisfy  the  oldest  and  most  experienced  miner.  The  ore  comes 
in  at  intervals  in  great  force,  and  the  quantity  is  increasing 
in  each  shoot.  The  drawback  or  the  discouraging  features  of 
the  mine  lie  in  the  long  intervals  of  barren  vein  stone  be- 
tween the  productive  shoots.  These  varieties,  however,  are 
by  no  means  uncommon.  They  are  not  indicative  of  a  fail- 
ure of  the  mine.  Indeed,  there  has  been  no  mine  but  has 
precisely  this  kind  of  irregularity,  and  therefore  its  occur- 
rence here  should  not  be  disheartening.  Should  this  mine 
fail  to  give  fair  returns  to  its  proprietors,  it  would  be  an  ex- 
traordinary occurrence  in  the  annals  of  mining.  But  stoping 
ground  should  be  prepared  in  anticipation  or  beforehand,  to 
meet  the  probable  barren  spots,  which  may  be  expected  to 
occur  at  intervals.  A  shaft  should  reach  a  six  hundred  feet 
level  at  an  early  a  day  as  possible,  and  if  at  this  level  it  is 
not  productive,  it  should  be  abandoned.    - 

§  203.  Upon  the  western  border  of  the  sienite  in  Cabarrus 
county,  and  about  eleven  or  twelve  miles  from  Gold  Hill, 
there  are  three  promising  veins,  carrying  the  yellow  sulphu- 
ret  of  copper,  viz.,  the  Ludowick,  Boger  and  Hill  mine.  The 
Boger  vein  intersects  the  Concord  road  near  the  crossing  of 
the  Mount  Pleasant  road,  at  a  distance  of  about  eight  miles 
from  Concord.  Upon  the  Ludowick  property  there  are  two 
veins  traversing  a  hard  sienite.  Direction  N.  70°  E.,  gangue 
quartz,  and  from  twelve  to  eighteen  in  width. 

The  Boger  vein  runs  N.  20°  W.,  and  is  nearly  vertical ; 
angle  of  dip  80°;  gangue  quartz;  the  yellow  sulphuret  pre- 
sents a  fine  appearance. 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  203 

The  yellow  sulphiiret  on  the  Hill  property  is  contained  in 
ft  vein  from  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  at  the  outcrop.  The 
Beam  of  copper  is  about  four  inches  thick  in  the  middle  of  a 
quartz  gangue,  in  which  carbonate  of  iron  is  disseminated 
and  intermixed  also  with  copper.  This  mine  is  one  mile 
south  west  of  the  Boger  vein ;  its  strike  N.  40°  W.;  angle  of 
dip  80°,  and  to  the  west.  Tliese  veins  have  not  been  tested  ; 
their  characters  at  the  surface  are  as  promising  as,  if  not  more 
BO  than,  those  of  the  North- Carolina  copper  mine  ;  indeed  the 
ore  with  the  vein  stone  clearly  resembles  it. 

These  veins  were  not  particularly  noticed  until  the  copper 
mines  of  I^orth-Carolina  were  below  par  in  market ;  and 
hence,  there  was  no  attempt  to  expose  them  at  a  proper 
depth. 

The  indications  at  all  of  these  mines  belonging  to  one 
neighborhood  are,  thA,t  they  will  prove  to  be  good  mines,  be- 
ing traceable  from  one-half  of  a  mile  to  a  mile  by  their  vein 
stones,  and  showing  handsome  ore  at  their  outcrops ;  and 
which  is  arranged  apparently  in  continuous  sheets.  The  yel- 
low sulphuret  is  solid,  and  is  unaccompanied  with  iron  pyrites. 

§  204.  The  Twin  mine  is  six  miles  south  west  from  Greens- 
borough.  Its  name  came  into  use  from  the  circumstance  that 
two  parallel  veins  are  exposed  in  one  tunnel.  Their  direc- 
tion is  N.  40°  E.,  with  a  southeasterly  dip.  The  slate  be- 
tween the  veins  is  four  feet  thick,  and  the  veins  about 
eighteen  inches,  consisting  of  quartz  thickly  interspersed 
with  yellow  sulphuret  of  copper,  at  the  depth  of  sixty  feet. 
At  this  depth  the  sulphuret  assumes  the  form  of  a  vein,  the 
masses  being  connected  together  by  strings. 

The  rock  and  walls  are  hard  and  firm,  and  at  the  depth  of 
forty  feet  the  rock  required  to  be  excavated  is  tough.  Still 
the  vein,  at  the  depth  of  sixty  feet,  contains  considerable 
stamp  ore,  and  is  not  intermixed  with  iron  pyrites. 

This  mine  is  in  the  vicinity  of  three  veins  running  nearly 
parallel  with  this,  upon  which  attempts  were  made  to  open 
and  expose  their  contents.  These  veins  traverse  the  Guilford 
granite,  and  may  be  traced  over  a  mile.  Indeed,  the  Twin 
mine  is  a  continuation  of  one  of  these,  which  is  known  in  tho 


204  NOKTH-CABOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY. 

neighborhood  as  the  Raleigh  mine.     These  mines  are  situat- 
ed upon  the  highest  point  of  land  in  the  vicinity. 

Should  farther  developments  put  a  favorable  aspect  upon 
these  veins,  which,  by  themselves,  constitute  a  mineral  dis- 
trict in  Guilford  county,  their  position  near  the  Central  Rail- 
road would  give  them  important  advantages  so  far  as  convey- 
ance to  market  is  concerned. 

§  205.  Veins  of  Co])jper  Pyrites  'belonging  to  the  Slate  for- 
mation.— Headrick  copper  mine  belongs  to  this  formation ; 
its  color  is  dark  blue,  and  might  be  denominated  chloritio 
slate.  Those  who  are  acquainted  with  the  slates  of  Gold 
Hill  would  recognize  it  at  once.  I  am  satisfied  that  these 
dark  slates  are  merely  varieties  of  clay  slate,  which  may  be 
colored  by  chlorite. 

This  mine  was  oj^ened  for  a  gold  mine,  but  the  persons  to 
whom  it  belonged  were  imperfectly  prepared  for  conducting  . 
the  business,  and  failed  to  obtain  remunerating  returns. 
They  obtained  about  thirty-seven  cents  per  bushel.  Consid- 
ered as  a  gold  vein,  the  vein  stone  is  quartz  and  copper  and 
iron  pyrites.  The  gold,  however,  is  distributed  principalh'' 
through  the  sulphurets. 

The  direction  of  the  vein  is  N.  21°  E.  and  S.  21°  W.  Its 
course  scarcely  varies  for  one  mile.  The  dip  is  N.  21°  "W., 
and  makes  westward  seven  feet  in  seventeen  in  its  descent. 
The  metal  is  a  mixture  of  copper  and  iron  pyrites.  The  vein 
was  six  inches  wide  at  its  outcrop,  and  consisted  of  quartz 
intermixed  with  brown  ore,  some  of  which  was  worth  one 
dollar  per  bushel.  At  the  depth  of  twenty  feet  the  lode  of 
copper  pyrites  was  thirty  inches  thick,  and  furnished  several 
tons  of  copper  pyrites,  which  gave  fifteen  per  cent,  of  copper. 
The  solid  ore  diminishes  below  this  point,  and  is  only  about 
six  inches  thick,  but  is  still  scattered  through  the  slate  for 
two  feet.  The  vein  fissure  does  not  appear  to  be  confined  to 
this  space,  inasmuch  as  two  thin  veins  and  a  sheet  of  slate 
carrying  gold  and  quartz  are  closely  connected  together. 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


^05 


t'lQ.  19.  The  diagram  will 

serve  to  explain  the 
arrangement  of  the 
masses  composing 
the  vein.  1,  Lode 
_^  consisting  of  copper 
A  S       6      7  8     9  pj^rites  adjacent  to 

the  foot  wall  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet  thick ;  2,  blue  slate ; 
3,  mucky  quartz,  with  some  pyrites ;  4,  slate ;  5,  slate  M'-hich 
weathers  brown,  and  contains  gold  three  feet  thick ;  6,  con- ' 
torted  slate ;  7,  vein  of  copper  pyrites  and  quartz,  between 
three  and  four  inches  thick;  8,  slate;  9,  vein  of  copper  py- 
rites and  iron  three  to  four  inches  thick — terminating  in  slate. 
Twelve  hundred  feet  northeasterly,  or  K.  21°  E.,  a  shaft  of 
sixty  feet  cuts  the  vein  where  it  is  six  inches  wide  in  a  solid 
mass,  but  distributed  throuo-h  the  auartz  and  slate  two  feet 

7,  O  J. 

wide.  Southerly  twelve  hundred  feet  the  same  vein  has  cop- 
per very  much  the  same  character  as  in  the  other  shafts. 
The  vein  has  been  traced  more  than  a  mile  in  length  contin- 
uously. Although  this  lode  has  not  been  fully  developed  by 
shafts  sunk  to  a  proper  depth  to  secure  that  end,  still  there  is 
very  little  doubt  but  it  will  prove  a  valuable  mine.  Its 
length  and  regularity,  the  two  strings  of  four  inches,  which 
are  intersected  at  the  two  principal  shafts,  distant  from  each 
other  twelve  hundred  feet,  are  favorable  indications,  and  go 
far  to  sustain  the  view  I  have  taken  of  the  Ileadrick  copper 
mine. 

§  206.  The  Barnhardt  vein  of  Gold  Hill,  at  the  depth  of 
between  one  hundred  and  seventy  and  two  hundred  feet,  or 
at  the  level  at  which  the  lessees  suspended  their  operations, 
contains  considerable  copper.  The  lode  is  equal  to  eight  or 
ten  inches,  but  is  intermixed  with  iron  pyrites.  It  yields,  by 
trial,  eight  per  cent,  of  copper ;  but  as  the  expenses  of  min- 
ing and  transportation  on  waggons  are  too  great  to  warrant 
an  attempt  to  work  it  for  copper,  nothing  has  been  done  far- 
ther than  to  test  it  for  the  per  centage  of  copper.  Still,  pro- 
vided there  were  smelting  works  upon  the  ground,  this  per 
eentage  of  copper  would  give  a  fair  profit. 


806  NOETH-CABOLINA    GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

I  have  hopes  that  the  time  is  not  far  distant  when  all  the 
ores  (gold  and  copper)  will  be  smelted,  and  the  use  of  mer- 
cury dispensed  with.  A  large  amount  of  copper  is  annuallj 
lost  at  Gold  Hill,  and  it  will  probably  turn  out  that  the  losses 
in  various  ways  will  pay  the  cost  of  smelting,  were  proper 
works  erected. 

§  207.  Remarks  similar  or  in  keeping  with  the  foregoing 
may  be  made  with  respect  to  the  copper  lodes  of  Conrad 
Hill.  The  regular  front  veins  of  this  mine  change  their  char- 
acter, and  at  the  depth  of  one  hundred  and  seventeen  feet 
copper  pyrites  take  the  place  of  the  brown  ore.  These  veins 
■are  remarkable  for  their  regularity,  width  or  strength,  and  it 
is  by  no  means  to  be  supposed  that  the  fissuies  will  be  found 
closed,  or  cease  to  carry  mineral  matter. 

A  vein  of  pyrites  of  some  promise  exists  on  the  lands  of 
Leonard  and  Young.  At  its  outcrop  it  is  five  feet  thick, 
mostly  quartz ;  but  upon  the  foot  wall  there  is  from  three  to 
four  inches  of  copper  and  iron  pyrites.  The  vein  dips  at  an 
angle  of  from  twelve  to  fifteen  degrees  westward,  and  hence, 
is  very  flat,  but  it  soon  becomes  steeper.  It  has  been  traced 
more  than  half  a  mile,  and  was  formerly  worked  for  gold. 

§  208.  Spencer  Copper  Mine^  in  Randolph  county. — ^It  is 
upon  the  upper  branches  of  the  Caraway,  near  the  south 
boundary  of  Guilford  county.  It  is  from  four  to  six  feet 
wide,  and  nearly  vertical.  Its  direction  is  IST.  20°  W.  The 
vein  stone  is  quartz,  through  which  the  yellow  sulphuret  is 
disseminated.  I  have  seen  very  handsome  ore  from  this  ' 
mine,  but  have  not  examined  it  in  place.  The  sulphuret  is 
interspersed  through  the  quartz  near  the  outcrop,  but  at  sixty 
feet  is  collected  in  masses  nearer  the  foot  wall. 

§  209.  Standard  property  near  Gold  Hill. — This  property 
at  one  time  was  regarded  as  very  valuable.  As  the  mineral 
now  appears,  I  should  esteem  it  more  important  for  copper 
than  gold.  It  is  traversed  by  a  net  work  of  veins,  or  by  sev- 
eral veins,  whose  direction  is  N.  20°  E.  The  mineral  at  the 
Burface  is  gossan^  or  the  hj'drous  oxide  of  iron,  and  resembles 
the  cap  which  covers  some  of  the  copper  mines  at  Duck- 
town,  Tenn.    The  veins  which  appear  below  this  mass  of  gos- 


NORTH-CAJROLINA    GEOLOGICAL   SUKVEY.' 


'•^  20T 


san  are  more  or  less  siliceous,  and  show  the  carbonates  of 
copper  and  small  masses  of  the  black  oxide.  A  place  known 
as  the  big  cut  exhibits  the  vein  to  the  best  advantage.  It  is 
in  a  small  cluster  of  veins,  the  relative  position  of  which  is 
fihown  on  Plate  9,  upon  the  left.  Six  or  seven  veins  traverse 
tlie  slate  of  this  district,  some  of  which  are,  no  doubt,  the 
prolongation  of  the  veins  which  are  worked  at  the  village  of 
GoldHiH. 

§  210.  The  Townsend  vein  is  supposed  to  be  upon  the 
range  of  the  Barnliardt  mine.  But  the  slate  is  rather  coarser 
and  harder,  and  somewhat  concretionary. 

Upon  the  surface  and  in  the  rubbish  from  this  abandoned 
mine,  I  found  a  mixture  of  copper  pyrites,  or.  the  sulphuret 
of  iron  and  copper.  The  vein  is  one  foot  wide,  and  has 
regular  walls.  Although  it  yielded  gold  when  woi'ked  sev- 
eral years  ago,  it  is  evident  that  if  pursued  at  all  it  should  be 
for  copper.  The  same  remark  is  applicable  to  the  Standard 
and  Idler  veins,  which,  at  the  time  they  were  worked,  the 
presence  of  copper  p^a-ites  was  disregarded,  or  considered 
rather  as  an  injurious  mineral. 

§  211.  The  Conrad  Hill.  The  front  veins  at  the  depth  of 
one  hundred  and  ten  feet  carry  the  yellow  sulphuret  of  cop- 
per. The  upper  part  of  the  veins  have  been  worked  profita- 
bly for  gold,  but  at  the  lowest  levels  which  have  been  ex- 
plored, copper  formes  the  most  important  metal.  But  as  no 
attempts  to  raise  this  ore  have  as  yet  been  made,  I  do  not 
propose  to  speak  farther  of  its  value. 

In  this  vicinity  several  other  auriferous  veins  are  known  to 
carry  copper  at  between  forty  aud  fifty  feet.  They  remain 
however  untried,  and  their  shafts  are  fallen  in  or  filled  with 
water. 


'^ 


•208  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY- 


CHAPTEK  XXYn. 

-Bepositoj'ies  of  the  metals  continued — Lead  and  its  Comhina' 
tions  /  its  Geological  Relations  and  Associations. 

§  212.  Galena  or  lead,  cannot  be  said  to  abound  in  North- 
Carolina  ;  yet,  at  three  localities  it  may  be  regarded  as  an 
important  metal,  viz.,  at  the  Washington  silver  mine,  which 
has  been  already  described — the  McMackin  silver  mine  in 
the  vicinity  of  Gold  Hill,  in  Cabarrus  county,  and^  near  the 
residence  of  A.  J.  Moore,  Esq.,  in  Davidson  county. 

The  rock  in  which  lead  is  most  frequently  found  is  the  ar- 
gillaceous slate  of  the  Taconic  system.  The  localities  already 
noticed  belong  to  the  slate  formation.  Others  are  also  known 
which  bear  the  same  relations ;  for  example,  the  Hoover  and 
Boss  lead  mines  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Headrick  copper 
mine  in  Davidson  county.  Lead  is  not  known  in  connection 
with  the  copper  mines  of  the  granitic  districts ;  at  least  the 
quantity  in  connection  with  the  copper  or  gold  mines  in  thia 
formation  is  too  small  to  merit  even  a  passing  notice.  What 
may  be  discovered  in  the  copper  and  gold  veins  at  deeper 
levels  cannot  of  course  be  predicted.  In  the  North-Carolina 
copper  mine,  carbonate  of  lime  has  made  its  appearance  in 
the  vein  stone,  and  indeed  forms,  in  one  of  the  levels,  a  con- 
stituent part  of  it.  This  fact  is  in  itself  an  indication  that 
galena  or  a  silver  lead  may  come  in  also,  an  occurrence  which 
would  be  injurious,  i*ather  than  beneficial  to  the  mine. 

The  Boss  lead  mine,  in  Davidson  county,  is  scarcely  enti- 
tled to  a  notice  as  a  mine.  It  has  furnished  handsome  cabi- 
net specimens  of  galena,  which  were  taken  from  a  very  dis- 
tinct vein  of  quarts.  The  mineral  is  associated  with  copper 
pyrites.  The  metal  is  scattered  through  a  very  tough  vein 
stone,  but  has  been  exj)osed  only  near  the  outcrop.  The  most 
favorable  fact  which  this  depository  presents,  is  the  develop- 
ment of  a  very  distinct  vein  fissure,  which,  at  several  placesj 
carries  metal  in  small  quantities  both  of  copper  and  lead  near 


NOilTH-CAROLINA    GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  209 

the^utcrop ;  but  these  metals  appear  in  diiFerent  parts  of  tlie 
vein,  and  are  not  mixed  together. 

The  vein  is  from  four  to  six  feet  wide,  and  takes  the  course 
of  the  majority  of  the  metallic  depositories  of  the  country. 

The  Hoover  lead  mine  is  two  miles  south  from  the  Boss 
mine  ;  and  was  formerly  owned  by  a  Mr.  Williams,  on  whose 
plantation  it  was  discovered.  The  galena  is  coarser  and  more 
crystalline  than  that  of  the  "Washington  mine.  The  vein 
is  promising  at  its  outcrop,  but  at  the  depth  of  ten  feet  dwin- 
dles to  mere  string  in  its  Calcareous  vein  stone.  It  furnished 
two  or  three  tons  of  metal  which  seemed  to  form  a  pocket  or 
bunch  merely,  in  its  gangue. 

This  place,  however,  oifers  one  inducement  to  pursue  the 
metal  in  the  direction  of  the  vein ;  it  is  the  calcareous  gan- 
gue of  the  lead  which  bids  fair  to  pay,  in  part,  the  expenses 
of  testing  the  depository  more  thoroughly  than  has  as  yet 
been  done.  Limestone  is  extremely  scarce  in  this  part  of  the 
State,  and  as  it  is  six  or  seven  feet  wide,  enough  would  be  ob- 
tained to  be  employed  for  a  flux  in  smelting  the  ores  of  the 
Washington  silver  mine,  or  other  metals  of  this  mineral  dis- 
trict, while  the  vein  itself  would  be  sufficiently -tested  to  de- 
termine its  value. 

The  only  important  depositories  of  lead  of  the  midland 
counties  which  may  be  regarded  as  important,  are  those  al- 
ready referred  to,  and  which  are  associated  in  each  instance 
with  blende.  They  are  all  silver  lead  ores,  and  their  value 
as  mines  is  only  beginning  -to  be  appreciated.  Their  value 
has  been  evolved  by  the  discovery  that  the  blende  with  which 
the  lead  is  associated  may  be  separated  by  a  mechanical  pro- 
cess, after  which,  the  whole  of  the  silver  and  lead  may  be 
obtained  by  the  usual  process  of  smelting  and  cuppellation. 
Tlie  lead  becomes  valuable  in  these  cases  as  an  instrument, 
or  an  agent  in  the  process  of  reduction. 

It  is  an  interesting  geological  fact  that  the  silver  lead  ores 
all  belong  to  the  Gold  Hill  belt,  and  the  diflerent  localities 
lie  in^'il,  range  with  each  other.  The  extreme  points  of  the 
belt,  at  which  these  interesting  conibinations  of  metal  have 
been  discovered  is  about  thirty  miles.  The  most  southwest-^ 
14  . 


310 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 


ern  point  is  the  McMacMn  silver  mine,  and  tlie  most  nor^- 
easterly  one  is  that  near  the  residence  of  Mr.  Moore,  in  Da- 
vidson county. 

The  enquiry  will  no  doubt  be  raised  whether  the  same  vein 
of  metal  may  not  be  found  between  these  extreme  points. 
This  expectation  may,  perhaps,  be  reahzed ;  but  the  inter- 
vening country  is  crossed  by  an  overlying  brecciated  con- 
glomerate, into  which  this  vein  of  metal  does  not  probably 
penetrate.  The  Gold  Hill  part  of  this  belt  is  on  the  west 
si^e  of  the  conglomerate,  and  the  Davidson  extremity  is  up- 
on the  eastern  side  of  it.  The  facts  respecting  the  relation 
of  these  silver  lead  veins,  induces  me  to  adopt  the  opinion 
that  they  would  rather  pass  beneath  the  conglomerate  than 
through  it.  "We  have  no  evidence,  it  is  true,  that  the  veins 
of  silver  lead  are  continuous,  only  they  are  upon  one  line  of 
strike,  and  the  ores  resemble  each  other  externally,  as  well 
as  in  their  chemical  constitution.  Admitting,  however,  their 
continuity,  which  is  hardly  credible,  the  overlying  brecciated 
conglomerates  will  conceal  them  throughout  most  of  the  dis- 
tance between  the  points  which  I  have  named.  As  it  re- 
gards the  galena  or  lead  of  the  Washington  mine,  the  Mc- 
MacMn and  the  Davidson  mine,  enough  has  been  said  under 
each  respective  head ;  inasmuch  as  the  two  last  require  far- 
ther exploration  to  estabhsh  their  true  value. 


CHAPTEE  XXYin. 

Bepositories  of  the  metals  continued — Zmc,  its  ores^  geological 
relations  and  associations. 

§  213.  So  far  as  the  investigations  have  been  made,  it  ap- 
pears that  zinc  is  found  in  this  State  only  in  combination  with 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  211 

snlplrar.  I  have  already  noticed  it  as  a  mixture  with  galena 
and  copper  at  the  "Washington  mine  in  Davidson,  and  at  the 
McMackin  mine  in  Cabarrus  counties.  At  both  of  these 
mines  it  is  found  in  masses  which  consist  almost  exclusively 
of  blende.  Its  color  is  brown,  and  its  texture  fine  grained,  and 
often  quite  compact.  At  the  McMackin  mine  it  is  yellowish, 
and  always  of  a  lighter  color  than  at  the  Washington  mine, 
and  at  this  place  also  it  is  often  distinct  from  the  galena.  At 
the  Davidson  zinc  and  lead  mine,  near  the  residence  of  Mr. 
Moore,  it  resembles  that  of  the  Washington  mine.  With 
respect  to  this  metal,  it  is  important  to  recollect  that  neither 
gold  nor  silver  may  be  expected  to  be  found  in  it,  either  in  a 
state  of  mechanical  mixture  or  chemical  combination,  not- 
withstanding it  is  in  contact  with  lead  and  pyrites,  in  which 
both  silver  and  gold  are  intermixed.  Perhaps  it  is  going  too 
far  to  assert  that  neither  of  these  may  exist  in  the  blende  in 
very  minute  proportions.  In  all  the  trials  which  have  been 
made,  it  has  not  been  detected  in  sufficient  quantities  to 
make  them  objects  worthy  of  future  search,  with  a  view  to 
secure  economical  results. 

An  interesting  locality  of  the  sulphuret  of  zinc  exists  at 
the  Jacob  Troutman  gold  mine,  one  mile  south  east  of  Gold 
Hill.  The  ore  is  of  an  ash  gray  color,  with  a  low  metallic 
lustre.  It  is  fine  grained,  and  rings  like  cast  iron  when  struck 
with  a  hammer.  It  is  also  quite  hard.  It  becomes  coated 
with  a  yellowish  powder  when  heated  to  bright  redness,  and 
exhales  the  odor  of  sul]3hur,  the  latter  of  which  is  readily  dis- 
charged, or  volatilized  in  a  capsule  over  the  flame  of  an  al- 
coholic lamp. 

It  is  uncombined  with  lead,  bismuth,  cadmium,  copper, 
gold,  antimony  or  arsenic;  as  it  appears  when  fused  with 
nitre  or  carbonate  of  soda,  and  afterwards  dissolved  in  mu- 
riatic acid,  which  leaves  silica  in  a  gelatinous  state.  The  acid 
solution,  tested  with  sulphurated  hydrogen,  gave  no  precipi- 
tate which  indicates,  as  I  have  remarked  already,  the  absence 
of  the  foregoing  metals,  some  of  which  were  suspected,  es- 
pecially antimony  and  arsenic. 

The  principal  metal  present  in  this  gray  compound  was 


'2i-2  IS^OETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   8TJEVET. 

proved  to  be  zinc,  by  passing  again  snlphuretted  hydrogeB. 
throiigli  a  neutral  solution,  and  to  which  caustic  soda  was 
added,  which  gave  a  white  precipitate ;  this  was  also  easily 
soluble  in  muriatic  acid, 

A  small  quantity  of  iron  is  also  present,  which  exists,  dif- 
fused sparingly  through  the  mineral  in  small  grains.  This 
form  of  sulplmret  of  zine  first  appears  in  the  Troutman  vein, 
at  the  depth  of  one  hundred  feet,  where  it  is  only  two  inches 
thick.  At  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  foot  level  it  is  six  inches 
thick,  and  exists  in  a  solid  mass.  It  is  attached  to  the  quartz 
of  the  vein,  which,  at  a  higher  level  was  very  porous  and 
carried  gold,  yielding,  near  the  outcrop,  at  the  rate  of  fifty 
dollars  per  bushel ;  gave  at  the  one  hundred  feet  level  ,only 
one  dollar  per  bushel.  After  the  shaft  had  been  sunk  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet,  the  vein  was  regarded  as  too  poor  to' 
work,  and  was  abandoned.  The  zinc  which  had  come  in  at 
this  depth  was  disregarded,  and  indeed  the  nature  of  the 
inetal  was  not  suspected ;  it  yielded  neither  gold  nor  silver, 
and  the  operators  were  unable  to  extract  lead  from  it ;  and 
hence  it  appeared  to  be  worthless.  The  readiness  with  which 
this  variety  of  sulphuret  of  zinc  is  decomposed,  proves  that  it 
may  be  converted  into  a  valuable  white  paint,  provided  the 
quantity  of  metal  should  be  sufiicient  for  this  purpose.  This 
is  the  most  easterly  of  the  veins  belonging  to  the  Gold  Hill 
mineral  district ;  its  course  is  east  of  north.  It  appears  to  be 
a  strong,  well  defined  vein,  and  belongs  to  the  slate  forma- 
tion ;  but  in  its  progress  north-eastward  will  pass  beneath  the 
brecciated  conglomerate.  It  is  known  only  at  the  Troutmaw 
plantation. 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


01  ^ 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

jReposito7'ies  of  the  metals  continued — Manganese,  its  ores, 
their  geological  position  and  relations. 

§  214.  Manganese  is  widely  diffused  in  the  rocks  of  North- '' 
Carolina,  and  next  to  iron  it  is  the  most  common  of  the 
metals.  The  surface  is  frequently  nearly  covered  in  certain 
places  with  black  nodules  or  concretions  about  the  size  of  h, 
pea ;  these  are  composed  of  the  black  oxide  of  manganese 
and  iron— their  dark  color  is  due  to  the  presence  of  the  for- 
mer. The  natural  joints  of  the  slate  rocks  are  generally  cov- 
ered with  a  film  of  manganese  which  has  escaped  from  the 
interior  of  the  rock  to  the  surface.  The  only  ore  of  this 
metal  which  has  a  commercial  value,  is  the  black,  or  perox- 
ide of  manganese.  It  is  usually  associated  in  this  country 
with  the  iimonites  or  brown  haematite,  and  occurs  in  beds,  or  , 
as  a  deposit  in  the  soil.  I  have  not,  however,  been  so  fortu- 
nate as  to  discover  this  species  of  ore  in  the  connexion  I  have 
named,  in  the  midland  counties,  in  sufficient  quanty,  and  at 
any  place,  to  be  regarded  as  possessing  a  commercial  value. 
The  use  to  which  it  is  put,  is  to  form  in  the  chloride  of  lime 
which  is  employed  in  bleaching. 

The  species  of  manganese  which  has  fallen  under  my  no- 
tice is  the  silicate  of  the  metal.  Of  this  there  are  three  veins, 
each  of  which  may  be  traced  a  half  a  mile  or  more  upon  the 
surface  ;  and  which  are  from  five  to  seven  feet  wide. 

-A  vein  of  this  mineral  is  referred  to  in  Prof  Olmsted's  re- 
port, and  which  was  regarded  by  him  as  the  black  oxide.  It 
forms  a  superficial  layer  of  the  black  oxide,  but  the  quantity 
■of  it  in  this  condition  is  too  small  to  possess  a  commercial 
value.  The  vein  I  have  reference  to  is  about  three-fourths 
of  a  mile  south-west  from  Gold  Hill.  It  is  four  or  five  feet 
wide,  and  is  mixed  at  the  surface  with  the  oxide  of  iron. 

Another  vein  crosses  the  plankroad  about  ten  miles  east  of 
Lincolnton.     It  forms  a  conspicuous  black  stripe  by  the  road 


214  NOKTH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY. 

side.  The  first  impression  is,  tliat  it  is  produced  by  the  pre- 
sence of  coal.  It  is  black  upon  the  surface  in  consequence 
of  oxidation ;  it  is  traversed  by  seams  of  a  reddish  substance, 
and  by  seams  of  quartz. 

The  third  vein  of  this  substance  crosses  the  road  at  Mr. 
Briggs'  iron  works,  in  Gaston  county. 

This  mineral  has  not  been  applied  to  any  useful  purpose. 
But  manganese  is  frequently  associated  with  silver  ores,  and 
hence,  the  veins  should  be  examined  for  the  purpose  of  as- 
certaining if  there  exists  any  valuable  metal  in  connexion 
with  it. 

At  the  McMackin  silver  lead  mine  manganese  enters  into 
the  constitution  of  the  vein  and  forms  in  part  the  vein  stone, 
or  perhaps  may  be  regarded  as  one  of  its  metals. 


OHAPTEE   XXX. 

Earthy  Minerals  and  Rocks  which  possess  a  value  in  the 
Arts.— Steatite — Agalmatolite — Pseudo  Burrhstone — Roof- 
ing  Slate — Fire-stone — Fire-clay — Porcelain-clay — Build- 
ing Stone — Porphyry — Antifriction  Pochs,  or  Pocks  which 
may  he  employed  for  the  hearings  of  heavy  wheels. 

§  215.  Steatite  or  Soapstone. — ^This  important  material  is 
common  in  several  of  the  midland  counties.  In  Wake  coun- 
ty it  occurs  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Lewis  JSTippers ;  it  is 
rather  coarse,  and  contains  upon  the  surface  too  much  quartz. 
It  is  associated  with  slates  containing  veins  of  quartz  carrying 
the  specular  ore  of  iron,  which  seems  to  be  a  very  common 
association  in  this  State.  Two  miles  north-east  from  this 
place,  and  probably  also  at  intermediate  points,  soapstone  ex- 
ists in  large  beds  or  mountain  masses,  which,  though  rather 


NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  SUEVEY.         215 

coarse,  is  of  a  very  good  quality,  and  is  suitable  for  hearths, 
jambs  and  other  purposes.  Its  color  is  green,  and  the  mass 
is  rather  crystalline.  It  may  be  sawn  into  blocks  of  any  re- 
quired size.  It  is  in  inexhaustible  quantities.  Where  soap- 
stone  is  to  be  employed  in  the  construction  of  hearths,  backs 
or  jambs  for  fire-places,  too  much  caution  cannot  be  observed 
in  exposing  the  stone  to  heat  for  the  first  time.  It  often  hap- 
pens that  water  is  inclosed  in  the  rock,  and  if  heated  rapidly, 
it  is  converted  into  steam  and  explodes ;  and  the  breaking  of 
the  stone  might  be  followed  with  fatal  consequences.  Hence, 
the  rock  should  be  dried  in  the  first  place,  and  all  its  water 
expelled  slowly,  which  saves  the  stone  from  flaking  off  subse- 
quently. 

Soapstone  occurs  three  miles  west  of  Ashborough,  and 
five  or  six  miles  north-west  of  FranklinviUe,  in  Randolph 
county. 

The  use  of  soapstone  is  generally  known.  Its  valuable 
quahties  are  dependent  upon  its  softness  and  refractory  pow- 
ers. It  enables  the  mechanic  to  give  it  form  and  shape  at  a 
very  trifling  expense.  It  is  true  it  is  not  handsome  in  itself, 
as  it  is  not  susceptible  of  a  polish ;  still,  when  planed  and  var- 
nished, it  makes  a  very  handsome  mantle-piece.  The  var- 
nish brings  out  lively  light  green  tints  which  give  the  sur- 
face the  appearance  of  a  variegated  marble. 

The  most  valuable  soapstones  are  free  from  flint  and  horn- 
blende spar,  and  other  foreign  minerals.  When  present, 
they  diminish  more  or  less  its  value.  The  most  important  use 
of  soapstone  is  as  a  fining  for  stoves,  and  its  employment  in 
the  formation  of  registers  in  houses  heated  with  hot  air. 
The  fine  compact  varieties  are  selected  for  these  purposes. 
In  quarrying  soapstone,  gunpowder  should  not  be  used — in- 
deed its  use  is  not  attended  with  much  success' — and  when  it 
breaks  out  a  mass,  it  produces  shakes  or  invisible  cracks 
which  greatly  damage  the  stone,  and  which  open,  on  expo- 
sure to  heat  and  frost.  The  only  safe  method  of  quarrying, 
is  to  cut  out  rectangular  masses  by  means  of  suitable  tools. 

Soapstone,  as  a  rock,  belongs  to  the  pyrocrystalline  series, 
and  never  occurs  as  a  sediment ;  it  is  associated  with  ser- 


216  NOKTH-CAHOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

pentine,  hornblende  and  talcose  slate.  It  freq^nently  con- 
tains, in  isolated  crystalline  masses,  dolomite,  or  magnesian  car- 
bonate of  lime,  sparry  iron,  or  carbonate  of  iron — brown  spar, 
asbestos,  etc.  In  Massachusetts  it  passes  gradually  into  ser- 
pentine. I  have  never  seen  it  passing  directly  into  serpen- 
tine in  Il^orth-Carolina. 

Agalmatolite  belongs  to  the  sedimentary  class  of  rocks. 
As  such,  it  may  be  regarded  as  a  white  variety  of  argilla- 
ceous slate.  The  most  remarkable  locality  of  this  rock  is 
near  Hancock's  mills,  in  Chatham  county.  It  is  also  asso- 
ciated with  the  massive  specular  ores  of  iron,  both  in  Mont- 
gomery and  Chatham  counties.  •  It  is  also  in  immediate  con- 
nexion with  quartz  rock  in  Montgomery  county.  It  is  often 
useless,  from  the  presence  of  fine  granular  quartz,  or  from 
disseminated  grains  of  magnetic  iron. 

In  foreign  countries  this  stone  is  cut  into  pagodas  or  im- 
ages, and  hence,  has  been  called  Jlgure  stone. 

As  its  grain  is  very  fine,  and  its  texture  compact  and  at  the 
same  time  soft,  it  is  adapted  to  a  variety  of  useful  or  orna- 
mental purposes,  as  ink-stands,  paper-weights,  etc.  When 
exposed  to  heat,  it  does  not  become  as  hard  as  soapstone.  It 
however  receives  something  of  a  polish  which  may  be  height- 
ened by  varnish ;  and  hence,  may  become  rather  handsome 
for  mantle-pieces.  This  use  of  it  is  important  in  llTorth-Caro- 
lina,  as  marbles  are  extremely  scarce.  The  soapstones  and 
figure  stones  are  important  also,  in  consequence  of  their  com- 
bined strength,  softness,  and  their  ability  to  stand  the  weather  ; 
the  latter  property  enabling  the  artist  to  quarry  and  shape 
them  readily,  and  when  placed  in  a  building,  they  are  more 
durable  than  granite. 

§  216.  JfarMe. — There  is  probably  no  material  so  scarce 
in  l^orth-Carolina  as  limestone,  when  its  actual  quantity  is 
compared  with  other  States  of  the  Union.  Limestone,  how- 
ever, forms  an  interrupted  belt  across  the  State.  At  one  or 
two  localities  in  Catawba  county  it  has  a  fine,  even,  granular 
structure,  combined  with  a  lively  lustre,  which  equals  in 
beauty  any  of  the  Italian  marbles.  But  these  qualities  are 
too  limited  at  the  surface  to  be  of  any  use.  The  question  is, 
is  it  probable  that  beds  possessing  these  fine  properties  may 


NORTH- CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  217 

be  obtained  by  deeper  explorations.     It  is  not  at  all  im- 
probable. 

Agalnnatolite. — ^This  rock  has  been  already  noticed.  It  re- 
sembles steatite,  and  so  much  so,  that  it  has  always  been  con- 
founded with  it.  It  is,  however,  quite  different  in  composi- 
tion, though  it  has  the  soft  soapy  feel,  and  the  light  greenish 
white  colors.  In  North-Carolina  it  is  much  liner  and  whiter 
than  its  soapstones,  and  hence,  it  has  been  regarded  as  a  bet- 
ter kind  of  this  rock.  In  the  arts  and  as  a  fire-stone  it  is  not 
as  valuable,  as  it  is  more  likely  to  split  and  flake  off  when 
exposed  to  the  tire.  If  carefully  dried,  this  defect  may  be 
partly  overcome  ;  but  when  used  as  a  fire-stone,  it  should  be 
exposed  endways  to  the  flame  or  fire.  It  splits  like  an  argil- 
laceous slate ;  indeed  it  is  a  white  variety  of  this  rock.  In 
addition  to  its  use  as  a  fire-stone,  it  is  supposed  to  be  employ- 
ed, when  ground,  for  adulterating  white  paint  or  white  lead ; 
but  for  this  purpose  it  is  not  adapted.  When  mixed  with  oil 
it  becomes  translucent,  or  loses  its  opacity ;  and  hence,  in 
common  language,  it  has  no  body.  But  the  use  to  which  the 
powdered  rock  is  employed,  is  to  adulterate  hard  soap ;  that 
is,  I  suppose  aditlteration  is  the  right  word,  inasmuch  as  it  is 
designed  to  increase  its  w^eight.  It  has,  however,  other  pro- 
perties which  may  justify,  in  part,  its  employment ;  it  is  re- 
tentive of  odors,  and  hence,  in  fancy  soaps,  it  may  serve  a 
useful  purpose ;  besides,  it  no  doubt  assists  in  absorbing  grease, 
and  in  cleansing  surfaces.  It  may  not  be,  therefore,  an  abso- 
lute cheat  in  soap,  as  it  has  certain  useful  qualities.  Large ' 
quantities  have  been  ground  the  last  year  in  Chatham  county 
for  the  New  York  market.  It  is  necessary  that  it  should  be 
free  from  grit.  When  pure,  it  is  suitable  for  antifriction  pow- 
der, and  may  also  be  used  as  a  cosmetic,  in  place  of  chalk, 
lead,  etc.,  without  injuring  the  skin. 

Tlie  composition  of  this  variety  of  Agalmatolite  is  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Silex,     75.00 

Alumina, 18.75 

Potash, 2.00 

Water, 3.50 

Traces  of  iron, , , 

,     ,  99.25  Jackson. 


218  NOKTH-CA.EOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SrRVET. 

An  analysis  may  give  an  excess  of  silex  in  consequence  of 
its  mechanical  intermixture,  as  it  is  not  unfrequently  dissemi- 
nated through  the  mass  as  a  foreign  mineral.  It  will  make, 
according  to  Dr.  Jackson,  a  very  refractory  material  for  pot- 
ter's stone-ware  and  crucibles.  The  oxide  of  iron  is  an  acci- 
dental mixture,  varying  very  much  in  quantity  at  different 
locaHties.  Sometimes  octahedral  iron  abounds  in  certain  lay- 
ers in  thick  and  heavy  beds ;  it  is  apparently  absent,  and  be- 
comes snow  white  in  the  furnace, 

Burrhstone  or  Pseudo-l)urrhstone. — This  rock,  upon  its  exte- 
rior, is  exceedingly  rough  and  ragged ,  and  as  it  is  an  ex- 
tremely tough  siliceous  rock,  it  may  probably  possess  the  same 
valuable  properties  as  the  Paris  burrhstone.  But  I  do  not 
speak  confidently ;  for  the  fact  can  be  known  only  by  apply- 
ing a  stone  suitably  prepared  to  this  use,  that  of  a  miUstone. 
The  material  of  the  rock  is  in  the  required  condition  at  the 
surface.  It  consists  of  a  porous  chert ;  or,  originally,  it  was 
a  porphyrized  chert,  the  felspar  having  disintegrated,  leaves 
rough  cavities  bounded  by  a  tough  sharp  edged  material, 
similar  to  that  of  the  Paris  burrhstone.  One  difficulty  may 
materially  interfere  with  the  introduction  of  this  stone  for 
the  purpose  proposed,  viz.,  the  expense  of  cutting  it,  in  con- 
sequence of  the  toughness  of  the  material ;  and  besides,  the 
stone  has  not  weathered  deeply,  except  when  detached  from 
the  parent  bed.  But  the  formation  is  extensive,  and  the  va- 
rieties or  kinds  are  quite  numerous ;  and  hence,  it  is  expected 
that  locahties  will  occur  suitable  for  the  pm-pose  I  have  pro- 
posed. 

The  most  extensive  beds  of  the  Pseudo-burr hstone  occur  in 
Montgomery  county,  near  Troy.  It  is  the  fossilliferous  mass 
which  is  intimately  connected  with  the  granular  quartz.  A 
rock  possessing  characters  quite  similar  to  the  foregoing  exists 
in  large  masses  at  the  Plat  Swamp  mountain,  in  a  part  of 
Stanly  and  Davidson  counties.  So  far  as  they  have  fallen  un- 
der my  observation,  they  are  not  so  good  as  those  of  Mont- 
gomery county.  The  whole  range  too,  from  a  point  near 
Gold  Hill  to  the  Flat  Swamp  mountain  is  traversed  by  a  sili- 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  219 

ceous  porous  rock,  which  possesses  many  of  the  characters 
required  for  a  good  millstone. 

§  217.  Roofing  Slate. — In  the  slates  of  Chatham  county  there 
are  beds  which  are  firm,  hard  and  strong,  which  may  be  em- 
ployed for  roofing.  The  colors  are  blue  and  purple.  Of  the 
former,  the  most  important  beds  are  near  Rocky  river. ,  The 
purple  beds  were  observed  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Headen. 
The  best  were  brought  up  in  sinking  a  well.  The  slates  ex- 
tend, I  believe,  across  the  State — but  the  debris  of  rocks  con- 
ceal so  frequently  the  outcrops,  that  they  cannot  be  traced 
continuously.  The  only  drawback  which  seems  to  exist 
resjDecting  the  roofing  slates,  is  the  depth  of  the  beds,  or  the 
want  of  a  sufficient  extent  of  outcrop.  It  is  not  so  accesible 
as  in  the  more  elevated  parts  of  this  country.  Quarries  of 
slate  require  an  elevation  above  the  general  level  of  the 
country  in  order  to  obtain  depth,  and  at  the  same  time  space 
above  ground,  so  as  not  to  be  obliged  to  incur  much  expense 
in  draining. 

Fire-stone.,  and  Stone  for  Furnace-hearths. — The  sandstone 
of  the  Taconic  system  furnishes  fire-stones  which  may  be  relied 
upon ;  also,  for  the  hearths  of  furnaces.  It  is  a  white  and 
rather  friable  rock,  with  some  mica.  Specimens  of  it  would 
be  called  arenaceous  quartz.  There  are  two  ranges  of  this 
rock,  one  passes  through  Wake  county,  and  runs  parallel  with 
the  veins  of  graphite — the  other  through  Lincoln  and  Ca- 
tawba counties.  The  latter  have  been  proved  by  experience 
to  be  valuable  for  the  pi^rposes  I  stated — those  of  Wake  do 
not  differ  from  them,  and  hence  may  be  regarded  as  equally 
valuable. 

§  218.  Fire-clay  for  Fire-bricTc — Pipe-clay.' — Clay  for  fire- 
brick is  abundant  in  Gaston  county.  •\i  is  free,  I  believe, 
entirely  froni  lime  and  the  alkalies,  potash  and  soda.  It  ex- 
tends through  the  county.  It  is  inexhaustible  in  the  vicinity 
of  King's  mountain,  and  appears  at  numerous  places  between 
the  iron- works  and  Dallas,  as  well  as  at  numerous  places  in 
and  about  the  latter  place. 

Pipe-clay  occurs  in  Forsyth  county,  and  is  employed  ex- 
tensively for  the  bowls  of  pipes.     In  Davidson  county,  also, 


220  NOETH-CAKOLmA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

this  variety  of  clay  exists  in  the  depressions  of  the  surface, 
particularly  in  the  vicinity  of  Spencer's  Post  Office.  When 
exposed  to  high  heat,  the  bowls  lose  the  whiteness  of  the 
clay,  and  change  to  a  drab.  These  clays  are  also  suitable  for 
jugs,  pans  and  other  vessels  for  domestic  use.  These  clays, 
howQver,  are  employed  only  to  a  very  limited  extent.  • 

§  219.  Porcelain-clay. — This  substance  exists  at  numerous 
locahties.  In  Lincoln  county,  at  Lincolnton,  it  appears  to  be 
abundantj  and  of  good  quality.  In  Davidson  it  is  also  said 
to  exist,  but  it  is  probably  a  pipe-clay.  White  clays  are 
abundant ;  but  whether  they  wiU.  retain  their  whiteness  when 
heated  intensely,  has  not  been  determined  by  myself,  except 
in  a  few  instances.  A  large  tract  of  country,  forming  part  of 
the  plantation  of  Mr.  Bryant,  at  Jones'  Falls,  is  underlaid 
by  a  white  clay. 

§  220.  Building  Stone. — The  granites  of  ISTorth-Carolina 
are  frequently  in  a  disintegrated  condition.  But  the  quarries 
near  Raleigh  furnish  a  very  good  granite  for  construction. 
The  micaceous  sandstone  of  Wake  also  furnishes  a  good  ma- 
terial for  building,  which  is  easily  quarried.  There  is,  how- 
ever, no  want  of  building  material  in  any  part  of  the  State. 
Tlie  best,  however,  is  the  freestone  of  Deep  and  Dan  rivers, 
of  which  I  shall  have  occasion  to  speak  hereafter. 

§  221.  Porphyry. — There  is  a  belt  of  porphyry  extendhig 
from  Jones'  Falls,  some  seven  or  eight  miles  north-east.  Its 
base  is  black,  purple  and  green  of  diiferent  shades — some  of 
it  is  equal  in  beauty  to  the  porphyry  of  the  ancients.  There 
is,  however,  little  probabihty  that-it  will  be  brought  into  use 
as  an  ornamental  stone,  though  it  is  susceptible  of  a  high  and 
]jeautiful  polish.  It  is  also  well  adapted  for  mortars,  being 
very  hard  and  tough? 

The  porphyry  passes  by  insensible  shades  into  hornstoue, 
Avhich  frequently  is  very  fine-grained  or  compact.  It  is  green, 
gray,  blue,  purple  and  green,  and  purple  in  stripe,  and  some- 
times spotted.  The  compact  varieties  are  highly  valued  for 
the  bearing  of  gudgeons  and  axles  of  wheels.  Tears  elapse 
before  it  can  be  seen  that  they  are  worn  in  the  least.  For  all 
lieavy  wheels,  therefore,  they  are  as  important  in  diminishing 


\ 


NOETH-CAEOLINA    GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY.  221 

friction  as  the  diamond  and  other  gems  in  the  wheel  work  of 
time  keepers. 

These  admirable  antifriction  stones  abound  in  Chatham, 
Randolph,  Davidson  and  Montgomery  counties.  They  ma}" 
be  selected  from  the  finest  varieties  of  hornstones  and  por- 
phyries, which  are  frequently  found  in  extensive  beds  in  the 
clay  slates  of  these  counties. . 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Graphite — Its  relations,  extent,  quality  and  uses. 

%  222.  The  occurrence  of  this  substance  in  ISTorth-Carolinti 
has  been  known  for  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  century.  IsTot- 
withstanding  the  length  of  time  it  has  been  known,  its  true 
value  has  not  been  detarmined.  The  works,  however,  which 
are  now  in  operation  wnll  probably  settle  the  question  res- 
pecting its  value.  The  best  known  locality  is  in  Wake  coun- 
ty ;  it  is  a  few  miles  west  of  Raleigh,  and  it  crosses  all  the 
roads  running  south-west,  west,  or  north-west.  It  is  much 
more  distinct  in  the  gullies  or  the  road  side  on  a  wet  day. 
than  when  it  is  diVj.  On  the  Hillsborough  road  there  are  two 
belts  rather  less  than  half  a  mile  apart. 

The  whole  formation  consists  of  three  or  perhaps  more  par-^ 
allel  veins ;  they  are  apparently  variable  however  in  number 
at  different  points  of  exposure. 

The  feature  which  this  mineral  presents,  most  worthy  of 
notice,  is  its  great  persistency ;  for  there  are,  I  believe,  no 
mines  on  record,  whose  extent  can  be  compared  with  the 
graphite  of  Wake.  It  is  known  to  occur  fifteen  miles  south- 
west of  Raleigh,  on  Black  creek,  in  a  hill  by  the  road  side 
discoloring  the  soil  forty  feet  in  width  ;  and  it  is  explored 


222  NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

seven  miles  north-west  of  Raleigh ;  and  from  these  distant 
points  it  shows  no  signs  of  giving  ont.  Its  veins,  therefore, 
extend  eighteen  or  twenty  miles,  though  I  do  not  assume  that 
they  are  absolutely  continuous,  yet  I  have  little  doubt  that 
they  may  be  traced  uj^on  the  surface  throughout  this  entire 
range.  Enough  is  not  known  of  the  exact  relations  of  these 
depositories  of  graphite  to  enable  us  to  speak  with  certainty 
of  their  relation  to  the  enclosing  rock.  With  the  facts  which 
are  now  in  my  possession,  I  am  disposed  to  regard  them  as 
veins  and  not  as  beds.  Tlieir  strike  is  a  few  degrees  (about 
10)  east  of  north.  The  general  range  of  the  slates  is  IST.  25° 
30'  E.;  and  besides,  the  graphite  has  a  veinstone  of  quartz, 
or  is  accompanied  with  quartz ;  hence,  from  facts  of  this  kind, 
I  look  upon  or  regard  them  as  deserving  the  name  of  vein,  as 
much  as  any  of  the  auriferous  depositories  of  this  State. 

The  dip  is  north-westerly  at  an  angle  of  65°  to  Y0°.  Shafts 
have  been  sunk  upon  them  to  the  depth  of  one  hundred  feet, 
and  a  single  vein  has  been  stoped  out  to  the  depth  of  seventy 
feet.  The  distance  of  the  continuous  stoping  is  about  one 
thousand  feet.  This  ground  furnishes  the  most  reliable  infor- 
mation respecting  the  character  of  these  repositories  of  gra- 
phite. The  level  of  the  tunnel  or  drift  referred  to,  shows  a 
vein  varying  in  width  from  six  to  eighteen  inches,  with  regu- 
lar walls,  showing  friction  and  triac,  or  slickensides,  proving 
thereby  the  existence  of  a  vein  fissure.  Intermixed  with  the 
graphite  we  frequently  find  lenticular  masses  of  quartz,  be- 
sides the  quartz  in  fine  grains  more  immediately  disseminated 
in  the  metal  itselt.  It  rarely  contains  sulphuret  of  iron. 
The  graphite,  though  confined  mostly  to  the  seam,  yet 
spreads  more  widely  in  the  rock,  and  stains  it  black  for  sev- 
eral feet,  and  hence  the  vein  appears  wider  than  it  actually 
is.  The  adjacent  parts  which  are  colored  resemble  the  com- 
mon plumbaginous  slates  of  which  there  are  many  examples 
in  the  Talcose  slates  of  ISTew  England. 

The  following  beds  accompany  the  veins,  and  they  lie  in 
the  following  order : 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  22$ 


o 


Md  .K.CO  aa  s.S  &. 


rn  22^         S         3  oS  «89  T^$  ^55  o 

•3  .2oa>  '^  _,  Sg  — '^S  £„"rt  o.Sai  t-^ 

H       g-StS       ^       S       Q-6       PhEc-5       ii25       >-i.o^       QM 

The  graphite,  wherever  it  occurs  in  North-Carolina,  is  not 
far  beneath  the  sandstone  referred  to.  Hence  the  veins  of 
graphite  occupy  a  position  quite  similar  to  the  iron  ore  veins 
of  Lincoln  countv.  This  sandstone  is  near  the  base  of  the 
Taconic  system  in  some  places,  indeed  in  most  it  is  underlaid 
by  a  conglomerate  and  a  few  beds  of  slate. 

Tlie  graphite  belongs  to  the  primary  slates ;  it  is  a  mineral 
which  differs  in  its  origin  from  coal,  that  is,  there  is  no  evi- 
dence that  it  has  been  in  the  condition  of  organic  matter. 

§  223.  This  question  respecting  its  origin  is  one  of  the  most 
interesting  in  geology.  Coal,  without  doubt,  is  of  vegetable 
origin.  In  composition  it  will  be  perceived  that  it  is  not 
greatly  dissimilar  to  anthracite,  by  a  reference  to  their  res- 
pective constituents;  but  anthracite,  however  near  it  ap- 
proaches in  composition  to  graphite,  is  derived  from  organic 
matter.  We  cannot,  however,  under  the  circumstances  in 
which  the  graphite  of  "Wake  county  occurs,  assign  its  origin 
to  the  same  source.  We  are  necessarily  driven,  therefore,  to 
account  for  its  occurrence  on  other  grounds.  To  do  this  sat- 
isfactorily, we  must  ascertain  whether  there  are  any  phe- 
nomena in  nature  or  art  which  are  illustrative  of  those  chemi- 
cal changes,  which  may  throw  light  upon  its  formation.  Up- 
on this  ground  we  may  confidently  refer  to  the  production  of 
artificial  graphite  in  iron  furnaces,  which,  when  working  well, 
and  under  the  full  and  advantageous  application  of  heat,  in- 
variably produce  graphite  both  in  the  metal  and  in  the  slag. 
The  artificial  graphites  contain,  I  believe  invariably,  a  small 
per  centage  of  iron ;  and  in  its  formation  it  involves  the  pro- 
cess of- a  combination  of  the  vapor  of  the  two  elements. 
When,  therefore,  it  is  an  established  fact  that  graphite  is 
formed  under  favorable  circumstances  from  any  substance 


224  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEYEY. 

which  contams  carbon,  it  does  not  appear  difficult  to  account 
for  it  as  it  occurs  in  the  veins  of  Wake  and  Lincoln.  All  we 
have  to  assume,  is  the  existence  of  the  carbonates  in  the  in- 
terior of  the  earth.  These,  when  exposed  to  heat,  being  sus- 
ceptible of  decomposition,  undergo  the  needful  changes  for 
the  production  of  this  carbonaceous  substance.  It  undoubt- 
edly rises  in  vapor,  and  is  condensed  in  the  fissures  in  the 
form  in  which  it  is  now  found.  We  have  no  occasion  to  call 
to  our  aid  the  metamorphism  so  frequently  alluded  to,  and  so 
frequently  employed  in  accounting  for  phenomena  of  a  kin- 
dred character.  That  carbon  of  a  coal  seam  is  susceptible  of 
being  converted  into  graphite  may  be  admitted ;  but  when- 
ever carbon  occurs  in  rocks  of  a  sedimentary  origin,  it  is  ac- 
companied with  other  phenomena  v/hich  form  a  conclusive 
argument  respecting  its  origin.  Here,  in  Wake,  we  have  a 
rock  distinctly  primary  in  its  character,  showing  no  traces  of 
sedimentary  origin,  or  at  least  of  having  been  deposited  with- 
in the  organic  era ;  and  as  graphite  is  formed  artificially  un- 
der the  needful  conditions,  it  cannot  be  regarded  as  an  un- 
warrantable assumption  that  it  may  also  be  formed  directly 
in  the  interior  of  the  earth,  and  independent  of  any  preexist- 
ing; organic  matter. 

Its  occurrence  in  veins  or  fissures  is  also  accordant  with 
facts  which  are  established  in  the  case  of  metallic  bodies. 
Any  substance  which  can  be  vaporized  may  be  found  in  and 
filling  the  preexisting  fissures. 

Graphite  is  a  very  important  substance ;  it  has  become  an 
indispensable  article  ot  commerce — but  it  very  rarely  occurs 
in  that  state  of  purity  which  is  required  for  the  purposes  for 
which  it  is  employed.  Silex  or  quartz  in  fine-  grains  is  the 
most  common  impurity,  and  the  most  difficult  to  separate. 
When  crystalized  and  pure  it  still  requires  the  aid  of  art  to 
bring  it  to  a  state  in  which  it  can  be  employed.  In  its  pure 
laminated  state  the  mechanical  condition  produces  singular 
changes  in  its  molecules,  or  rather  particles ;  it  is  almost  im- 
possible to  pulverize  it  and  impart  to  them  that  form  which 
seems  essential  for  its  employment  in  the  arts.  These,  when 
mechanically  separated,  are  split  almost  ad  infinitum^  or  in  a 


iTOETH-CAEOLtNA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  226 

taode  similar  to  talc  and  mica,  and  become  thereby  light  as 
down,  and  difficult  to  recombine.  The  variety  known  in 
Wake  has  a  rounded  form ;  and  hence,  it  is  susceptible  of  a 
mechanical  division,  and  of  assuming  readily  the  state  re- 
quired in  the  arts.  The  impurity  of  this  variety  is  silex  in  a 
state  of  minute  subdivision;  and  before  it  can  be  applied  for 
certain  purposes,  this  must  be  separated  from  it  by  mechan- 
ical means.  It  cannot  be  used  for  pencils,  or  as  an  antifric- 
tion agent  in  its  natural  state.  It  is,  however,  not  so  objec- 
tionable when  it  is  employed  upon  wood,  as  wagon  axles, 
&c,;  but  where  iron  is  employed,  it  wears  the  surfaces  rapid- 
ly— hence  it  is  common  for  farmers  to  employ  it  in  its  native 
state  upon  their  wooden  axles,  mixed  with  grease,  with  good 
effects. 

The  experiments  which  are  being  made  by  Mr.  Miller,  at 
Raleigh  works,  will  probably  test  most  thoroughly  the  ques' 
tion  respecting  its  value  and  uses  for  various  purposes. 

It  should  however  be  stated,  that  for  certain  purposes,  as 
for  paint  and  its  application  for  stoves  there  can  be  no  doubt 
of  value,  with  only  an  imperfect  separation  of  silex.  For  the 
presence  of  fine  silex  cannot  be  injurious  when  used  for  a 
paint  for  roofs ;  its  presence  is  rather  beneficial,  as  it  thereby 
becomes  less  combustible,  and  renders  the  wood  in  a  measure 
fire-proof;  it  is  far  more  valuable  for  paint  than  any  of  the 
stone  paints  in  use,  having,  when  in  combination  with  fine 
silex,  all  the  incombustible  properties  which  they  are  suppos- 
ed to  possess.  It  is  not  only  with  respect  to  the  use  of  gra- 
phite as  a  paint  for  roofs,  but  also  in  an  equal  degree  as  a 
paint  for  ships.  I  believe,  for  these  purposes,  the  separation 
of  silex  is  not  required ;  it  should  be  as  fine  as  possible,  free 
from  slate,  and  contain  simply  graphite  and  silex.  Graphite,^ 
notwithstanding  its  lightness,  has  a  body  unequalled  for 
strength,  by  any  substance.  A  minute  quantity  indeed  is  suf- 
ficient to  give  color  to  a  large  quantity  of  fluid,  and  cover  a 
large  surface  of  wood.  Graphite  must  also  protect  wood  in 
a  certain  degree  from  decay.  Old  roofs,  for  example,  where 
it  has  been  employed,  have,  as  it  were,  been  renewed  by  its 
use,  and  rendered  durable  for  years,  when,  withoutj  they  would 
15 


226  NOKTH-CAHOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY.    '  ^     - 

have  been  useless.  It  protects  most  thoroughly  from  the  air» . 
and  when  of  a  good  quality  is  adherent.  It  is^  therefore,  one 
of  the  most  valuable  of  paints ;  but  it  has  not  been  sufficient- 
ly common  in  market  to  supply  the  demands  ^  but  it  appears 
to  me  that  the  depositories  of  Wake,  when  brought  properly 
before  the  public,  and  the  great  value  of  the  article  becomes 
known,  can  supply  an  immense  amount  of  material;  in- 
deed, it  is  only  in  this  country  that  graphite  is  sufficiently 
abundant  to.  meet  the  wants  of  the  public,  and  it  is  singular 
that  so  little  should  have  been  done  up  to  this  time  in  intro- 
ducing graphite  into  the  commercial  world  as  one  of  the  most 
valuable  paints  for  roofs  and  shipping.  The  value  of  gra- 
phite for  crucibles  is  well  known ;  but  as  it  regards  the  adop- 
tion of  it  in  its  partially  pure  state,  I  am  not  well  informed 
enough  to  speak  with  confidence ;  but  inasmuch  as  in  the 
manufacture,  clay  of  a  fine  quality  is  required  to  form  the 
body  of  the  utensil,  it  seems  that  it  may  be  all  that  is  wanted. 
In  addition  to  the  remarkable  depositories  in  Wake  county, 
the  old  county  of  Lincoln  also  furnishes,  or  will  fornish  those, 
which  are  probably  equally  pure  ;  but  they  are  not  so  exten- 
sive. The  formation  is  the  same,  and  the  mode  of  occurrence 
the  same ;  that  is,  it  is  in  veins  in  a  talcose  slate,,  whose  dip 
and  direction  closely  conform  to  that  of  the  rock.  It  is,  how- 
ever, proper  to  observe,  that  the  graphite  of  Lincoln,  (or  It 
may  be  within  the  limits  of  Catawba)  county,  has  not  been 
explored  except  superficially,  but  the  surface  indications  are 
favorable  both  as  to  quantity  and  quality. 

Although  the  graphite  of  Wake  county  is  beneath  the  mi- 
caceous sandstone,  it  does  not  necessarily  follow  that  it  will 
always  occupy  that  position  in  North-Carolina.  We  can  see 
no  reason  for  limiting  it  to  any  of  the  older  rocks,  including 
the  palaeozoic  slates  and  sandstones.  In  most  cases,  whether 
in  the  palaeozoic  or  hypozoic  strata,  the  direction  or  course  of 
the  depositories  may  be  expected  to  pursue  the  usual  course 
which  prevails  in  the  formations  of  the  slates. 

In  iRew  York  the  graphite  is  connected  with  the  primary 
limestone  in  which  it  occurs  in  irregular  veins  or  disconnect- 
ed masses.     It  is  always,  however,  crystalline,  and  in  many 


NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY.  22T 

instances  perfectly  pure ;  but  as  in  the  case  of  other  sub- 
stances .which  occur  as  ores,  it  is  uncertain  in  its  continuance. 
In  North-Carolina,  however,  the  depositories  appear  to  be 
permanent  or  persistent  in  depth,  and  the  great  desideratum 
is  to  free  it  from  silica.  The  partial  failures  seem  to  have 
arisen  from  not  having  employed  more  extended  vats,  and 
the  use  of  too  little  water,  for  the  amount  of  fine  graphite 
which  had  to  pass  through  them. 


CHAPTEK  XXXII.. 

De&p  River  Goal  Field — Masses  which  compose  the  fonna- 
tion — Considerations  respecting  its  age. 

§  224.  No  formation  has  excited  more  attention  than  that 
of  Deep  river.  In  Connecticut  and  new  Jersey  it  has  been 
known  under  the  name  of  New  Red.  Sandstone,  and  has  been 
carefully  examined  by  Dr.  Dean  of  Greenfield,  and  President 
Hitchcock  of  Amhurst  College,  Mr.  Redfield  of  New  York, 
and  Prof  Rodgers  of  Boston.  The  most  remarkable  discov- 
eries which  have  been  made  in  connexion  with  this  forma- 
tion, are  the  foot  prints  of  birds ;,  and  jDrobably  their  discove- 
ry has  given  as  much  celebrity  to  North  American  geology 
as  any  which  have  been  made.  The  age  however  of  this 
series  had  not  been  determined  to  the  satisfaction  of  all  par- 
ties, prior  to  the  commencement  of  the  Geological  Survey  of 
North-Carolina.  The  difiiculties  which  beset  this  question 
are  uncommonly  great.  Resting  as  it  does  in  the  northern 
and  southern  States,  upon  granite  or  pyrocrystalline  rocks,  its 
geological  relations  gave  no  clue  to  the  epoch  of  its  deposit ;, 
and  then,  to  add  to  the  obscurity,  most  of  the  fossils  whicli 
had  been  discovered,  were  equivocal  in  their  meaning.    So 


228  NOKTH-CAHGLINA  GEOLOaiCAL  SURVEY. 

that,  neither  its  position  in  the  series  could  be  deciphered  by 
its  relations,  nor  indicated  with  certainty  by  its  organic  re- 
mains. During  the  progress  of  the  survey  of  North-Carolina, 
evidence  has  been  gradually  accumulating  respecting  its  age ; 
but  it  is  only  during  the  last  two  years,  or  since  the  publica- 
tion of  my  report  in  1852,  that  the  evidence  has  taken  a  more 
positive  form.  It  is  true  that  I  had  in  my  possession  fossils 
which  pointed  to  the  Permian  system  as  its  equivalent ;  but 
this  evidence  became  neutralized  in  part  by  the  occurrence 
of  fossils  which  belong:  to  the  Triassic  type ;  or  may  be  re- 
garded by  other  geologists  as  Triassic.  I  was  led,  in  view  of 
all  the  facts  known  to  me  at  the  time  of  the  publication  of 
the  report  referred  to,  to  express  the  opinion  that  the  Deep 
river  coal  series  belonged  to  the  Triassic,  or  ISTew  Red  Sand- 
stone epoch.  The  reader  will  see  in  the  sequel  what  changes 
this  opinion  has  undergone  since  that  time.  Waving  the  geo- 
logical question  for  the  present,  I  shall  proceed  to  describe 
the  series  as  it  is  developed  upon  Deep  river. 

§  225.  A  natural  division  seems  to  exist  when  we  take  in- 
to account  the  physical  characters  of  the  formation  only ; 
and  indeed  it  would  be  disregarding  important  features,  were 
these  to  be  passed  by  unnoticed.  According  then  to  these 
features,  the  series  should  be  divided  into  three  great  depos- 
its, the  lower  red  standstone  and  its  conglomerate ;  the  coal' 
rneasures  including  slates,  shales  and  drab  colored  sandstones, 
with  their  subordinates ;  and  lastly,  the  upper  red  sandstones 
and  marls. 

These  three  parts  of  an  apparent  unbroken  series,  so  far  as 
succession  is  concerned,  seem  to  be  continuous  deposits  with- 
out breaks  or  unconformability,  with  one  exception ;  but 
when  their  organic  remains  are  taken  into  the  account,  we 
cannot  avoid  doubting  the  correctness  of  the  foregoing  view. 
The  lower  sandstone  has  nothing  in  common  with  the  upper, 
excepting  its  lithological  characters ;  but  there  is  a  gradual 
transition  of  the  lower  into  drab  colored  sandstones,  and  the 
obscure  fossils  belonging  to  the  vegetable  kingdom  extend 
from  one  to  the  other,  though  there  is  a  want  of  certainty  in 
the  exact  determination  of  those  forms.    "When,  however,  the 


NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY.  229 

wpper  red  sandstone  is  examined,  its  fossils  are  found  to  be 
entirely  different  from  those  below ;  and  hence  the  necessity, 
as  will  be  seen  in  the  sequel,  of  separating  it  from  all  the  in- 
ferior masses,  notwithstanding  its  apparent  conformability. 

I  have  said  the  series  is  conformable  and  without  breaks 
excepting  in  one  instance.  I  here  refer  to  a  conglomerate 
lying  between  the  upper  drab  colored  sandstones  and  the  up- 
per red  sandstones  and  marls.  It  is  not  clear  that  there  is  a 
decided  unconformability,  but  I  am  inclined  to  adopt  the 
opinion  that  there  is. 

§  226.  The  lower  sandstone  is  red  or  purplish  red,  often 
deep  red,  or  the  color  of  a  well  burnt  brick.  It  is  made  up 
of  grains  of  quartz,  which  are  rarely  coarse ;  its  texture  is 
even,  and  many  beds  are  firm,  free  from  marly  layers,  and 
constitute  an  excellent  free  stone. 

The  lower  beds  are  made  up  of  pebbles  of  quartz  strongly 
compacted  together,  without  the  intervention  of  a  cement. 
So  firm  are  these  beds  of  conglomerate  that  they  make  an 
excellent  corn  stone,  which,  when  broken  from  the  quarry, 
split  across  the  pebbles  without  removing  them  from  their 
beds.  The  pebbles  are  derived  from  the  adjacent  and  infe- 
rior Taconic  slates,  or  the  auriferous  slates,  with  their  series 
of  imbedded  minerals. 

The  most  conspicuous  part  of  the  conglomerate  is  quartz, 
which  is  rounded  by  attrition,  and  has  often  assumed  a  flat- 
tened or  oval  form. 

The  origin  of  these  pebbles  is,  without  doubt,  from  the 
slates ;  particularly  the  veins  which  traverse  them.  The  slate 
itself  is  largely  intermixed  with  disintegrated  matter,  which 
sets  free  the  undecomposable  milky  quartz,  and  hence,  when 
exposed  to  the  action  of  water  upon  a  sea  beach,  they  are 
rounded  by  the  attrition  to  which  they  are  subjected.  It  re- 
quires afterwards  that  they  should  be  consolidated  by  pres- 
sure, when  they  form  a  solid  mass  of  conglomerate. 

The  thickness  of  the  beds  varies  from  six  inches  to  two  feet. 
These  solid  beds  are  parted  by  soft  or  marly  matter,  which 
gives  an  opportunity  to  split  them  horizontally  from  the 
planes  upon  which  they  were  deposited. 


330  NOETH-CAKOLTNA   GEOLOGICAL    StTEVET. 

Tlie  color  of  the  conglomerate  is  usually  gray ;  but  when 
the  pebbles  diminish,  and  the  marly  matter  increases,  they 
are  red.  These  are  perishable  masses,  and  hence  are  not 
suited  for  millstones.  The  lower  conglomerate  is  full  sixty 
feet  thick,  and  rests,  as  has  been  already  observed,  upon 
slates  and  other  beds  of  the  Taconic  system ;  but  as  the  rock 
extends  north-east  and  south-west,  or  obliquely  across  the 
slate,  it  reposes  upon  certain  pyrocrystalline  rocks,  and  has 
its  conglomerates  made  up,  in  part,  from  them.  Hence  we 
may  find  pebbles  from  the  quartz  veins  of  the  slates  which 
carry  gold,  as  well  as  from  the  gneiss,  hornblende  and  granite. 
The  two  systems,  it  is  scarcely  necessary  to  say,  are  strictly 
unconformable — the  slates  having  been  tilted  up  prior  to  the 
deposition  of  the  sandstone  with  its  conglomerate.  Hence, 
the  formation  rests  upon  the  upturned  edges  of  the  inferior 
and  older  rocks.  The  conglomerates,  though  instructive,  re- 
quire no  farther  descriptive  details,  except^  it  is  proper  to  say 
here,  that  they  are  destitute  of  fossils,  excepting  the  occa- 
sional occurrence  of  lignite,  and  perhaps  near  their  junction 
with  sandstone,  that  of  silicified  trunks  of  trees,  as  at  Ger- 
manton,  in  Forsythe  county.  I  have  not  been  able  as  yet 
to  detect  a  leaf  of  a  cycad,  or  a  fern ;  though  the  silicified 
trunks  of  a  conifer  are  very  common.  This  fact  is  of  consid- 
erable importance ;  for,  at  the  beginning  of  another  stage, 
these  remarkable  vegetables  are  very  common.  I  cannot, 
however,  say  that  they  will  not  be  found ;  but  only  mean  to 
assert,  that  after  many  diligent  examinations,  they  have  not 
as  yet  been  discovered. 

The  statements  which  have  been  made  relate  to  the  quar- 
ries of  Moore  county,  which  furnish  the  millstones.  It  is  not 
present  everwhere  beneath  the  sandstone  in  so  much  force ; 
unless  it  is  concealed  by  soil.  Thus,  at  or  near  the  junction 
of  the  sandstones  with  the  slate,  at  the  Gulf,  I  have  not  ob- 
served the  conglomerate  in  place ;  it  is  there,  but  in  thinner 
beds. 

§  227.  The  lower  red  sandstone  which  succeeds  the  con- 
glomerate, is  made  up  of  both  angular  and  rounded  grains  of 
quartz,  which  are  always  coated  with  peroxide  of  iron.    Thi^^ 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GE0L0C41CAL   SURVEY.  231 

coating  may  be  washed  off  wheii  the  grains  resume  their 
common  colot  and  histre.  The  upper  part  of  this  mass,  how- 
ever, is  frequently  of  a  drab  color,  and  has  fine  grains.  The 
hyaline  quartz,  with  its  red  coating,  is  absent.  The  point 
where  these  drab  colored  beds  may  be  observed,  is  on  the 
north  side  of  Deep  river,  at  Egypt.  So  also  near  the  Gulf; 
but  this  mass  is  variable  in  thickness,  and  it  is  common  for 
the  red  sandstone  to  continue,  until  it  is  replaced  by  coal 
shales;  but  the  coal  shales  are  invariably  succeeded  by  the 
drab  colored  sandstones,  where  they  become  an  important 
mass. 

The  lower  sandstones,  as  they  exist,  extending  from  Evans' 
Mills  to  the  slates  bordering  the  sandstone  on  the  north,  con- 
sist of, 

1.  An  inferior  conglomerate  too  much  Wncealed  hy  the  soil  to  admit  of  measure- 
ment. 

2.  A  hard  dark  brown  freestone. 

3.  A  softer  thick  bedded  brown  sandstone. 

4.  Gray  sandstone. 

5.  Hard  red  sandstone. 

6.  Soft  red  sandstone,  frequently  passing  into  a  marly  sandstone. 

7.  Gray  and  olive  green  sandstone. 

The  foregoing  description  of  rocks  or  strata  which  succeed 
the  conglomerate,  and  lie  beneath  the  coal  slates,  will  apply 
to  this  part  of  the  formation.  Some  of  the  strata  are  soft, 
others  hard,  and  a  few  occupying  the  upper  part  are  gray 
and  drab.  Ked  sandstones  predominate  over  the  rest ;  and 
besides,  they  are  generally  hard  and  durable. 

§  228.  The  dip  of  the  sandstones  is  somewhat  variable  in 
direction  as  well  as  in  amount.  In  direction  it  is  about  S. 
25°  W.  The  amout  of  dip  varies  from  10  to  22  degrees.  It 
is  frequently  steeper  near  the  bottom  beds  than  near  the 
slates.  The  thickness  of  the  lower  red  sandstones  at  the  Gulf 
and  Egypt  is  at  least  fifteen  hundred  feet,  (1500,)  and  proba- 
bly is  nearer  two  thousand,  (2000.)  "West  of  Carthage,  in 
Moore  county,  it  is  greater.  But  as  the  rock  approaches 
Jones'  Falls,  in  Chatham  county,  it  evidently  becomes  thin- 
ner, and,  as  I  believe,  nearly  thins  out.  If  my  observations 
are  correct  with  respect  to  this  change,  important  conse- 


232  NOKTH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  SUKVET. 

quences  must  flow  from  them ;  for  in  that  case  it  is  the  upper 
sandstone  which  is  prolonged  north-eastward  into  Granville 
county,  and  that  which  is  connected  with  the  coal,  or  beneath 
it,  thins  out.  At  Jones'  Falls  there  is  less  than  forty  feet  of 
sandstone  and  conglomerates,  which  is  probably  the  lower 
part  of  the  sandstone.  Following,  however,  these  lower  beds 
from  Jones'  Falls  northwardly,  it  appears  that  the  lower 
masses  become  thicker,  and  about  six  or  seven  miles  east  of 
Chapel  Hill  the  black  slate  of  the  coal  measures  reappears. 
There  seems  to  be  a  deep  depression  upon  the  strike  of  the 
lower  beds,  in  which  the  inferior  rocks  come  in  again,  which 
may  also  contain  seams  of  coal  as  at  Farmville  and  Egypt. 
But  still  farther  north  or  north-eastward  the  black  slate  dis- 
appears, or  is  concealed  by  an  overlying  red  sandstone.  I 
have  said  all  that  appears  to  me  can  be  useful  to  the  student 
respecting  the  lower  mass,  so  far  as  it  is  required  when  its 
composition  only  is  to  be  considered.  That  which  relates  to 
its  organic  contents  will  be  noticed  farther  on. 

§  229.  The  coal  measures  consist  of  two  principal  rocks ; 
the  drab  and  gray  sandstone,  and  the  coal  slates  or  shales. 
The  sandstones  are  rather  fine  sediments,  and  rarely  if  ever 
very  coarse.  They  are  even  and  rather  thin  bedded  rocks, 
and  some  of  them  are  suitable  for  grindstones.  Frequently 
they  are  defective  from  excess  of  clay,  and  when  exposed  to 
the  air  crumble  and  fall  to  pieces. 

The  sea  in  which  they  were  deposited  was  probably  shal- 
lower than  when  the  lower  red  or  upper  red  sandstones  were 
deposited.  Ripple  marks  which  are  rare  in  the  latter  are 
common  in  the  former,  the  drab  colored  beds ;  so  also  their 
surfaces  are  marked  with  marine  plants,  which  grow  in  the 
shallow  water.  The  dip  of  this  middle  mass  corresponds  to 
the  lower  red  sandstone.  The  thickness  of  this  part  of  the 
series  at  Mr.  Mclvers'  plantation,  near  Egypt,  is  twelve  hun- 
dred feet,  (1 200.)  This  measurement  excludes  the  black  and 
green  slates  and  the  drab  colored  beds  beneath  them ;  or,  in 
other  words,  it  embraces  the  series  of  the  continuous  beds  of 
this  color  up  to  the  conglomerates  of  the  upper  red  sand- 
stone. 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  233 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  tliat  the  surfaces  of  these  rocks,  when 
exposed  to  the  atmosphere,  become  covered  with  an  efiio- 
rescent  salt  during  the  dry  weather  of  summer,  which  con- 
sists of  chloride  of  sodium,  or  common  salt ;  and  the  water 
at  many  places,  which  is  obtained  by  sinking  wells,  is  brack- 
ish, ISTo  well?,  however,  are  sunk  more  than  30  or  35  feet. 
They  are  therefore  shallow,  and  do  not  give  us  the  necessarj^ 
information  respecting  the  quantity  of  native  matter  with 
which  the  formation  is  charged.  It  is  evident  that  there  is  a 
change  in  this  respect,  for  in  the  deep  shaft  of  Egypt,  (460 
feet,)  the  water  is  entirely  free  from  foreign  matters,  and  is 
an  excellent  water  for  domestic  use.  There  are  no  brine 
springs  worthy  of  note  issuing  from  this  formation— which  is 
contrary  to  what  might  be  expected  considering  the  constancy 
of  the  salt  which  appears  upon  the  surface  rock. 

§  230.  The  coal  measures  of  Deep  river  form  a  distinct  belt 
of  rocks  between  the  two  red  sandstones.  The  drab  colored 
beds  of  the  middle  series  has  been  described ;  the  slate,  which 
is  an  important  member,  will  come  up  for  consideration  in 
this  place.  Of  the  belt  which  is  occupied  by  slate,  it  may  be 
said  that  it  is  extremely  variable  in  the  character  of  its  beds ; 
yet  is  by  far  the  thickest  mass,  or  most  important  in  quantity. 
The  great  shaft  of  Egypt  passes  through  slates  and  calcareous 
shales,  423  feet,  while  there  is  also  a  heavy  bed  of  slate  above 
the  shaft,  or  where  it  begins,  probably  amounting  to  150  or 
200  feet ;  but  below  the  423  feet  level  the  red  strata  are  nu- 
merous. 

The  first  233  feet  of  shaft  is  black  slate  and  calcareous 
shale  of  a  greenish  color,  which  is  always  more  or  less  crust- 
ed. There  are  seven  (7)  alternations  of  these  beds ;  and  what 
is  worthy  of  particular  attention,  is  the  constant  occurrence 
of  fossils  in  the  former,  while  the  latter  are  entirely  destitute 
of  them.  The  cypris,  which  is  so  common  in  the  black  slate, 
never  appears  in  the  greenish  calcareous  shales.  The  princi- 
pal interruption  to  the  continuance  of  the  slates  is  the  inter- 
position of  the  beds  of  argillaceous  oxide  of  iron,  which  are 
not  far  from  223  feet  from  the  surface,  or  200  feet  above  the 
first  coal  seam.    The  beds  of  iron  balls  and  layers  are  about 


234  KOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEf . 

six  feet  thick ;  beneath,  slates  and  shales  continue,  with  only 
a  few  important  interruptions,  until  the  coal  seam  is  reached 
at  the  depth  of  423  feet.  The  shaft  is  sunk  about  1,000  feet 
from  its  outcrop.  The  first  thirty  feet  is  soil.  The  last  two 
feet  is  made  up  of  coarse  gravel,  large  rounded  rocks,  trap, 
and  pieces  of  coal,  all  of  which  rested  upon  the  black  slate. 
The  overlying  soil  is,  evidently,  at  this  point,  made  up  of 
transported  materials  ;  though  at  a  greater  distance  from  the 
river  the  debris  of  the  rocks  remains  in  place.  Below  the 
first  coal  seam,  the  black  slates  reappear;  but  the  principal 
bed  is  a  gray  sandstone  which  partakes  of  the  character  of  a 
fire-clay,  which  is  some  fifteen  feet  thick.  At  the  depth  of 
thirty  feet  below  the  first  coal  seam  another  thin  seam  of  coal 
comes  in  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  thick,  accompanied 
with  black  band.  The  slates  still  continue,  and  probably  two 
hundred  feet  deeper.  The  body  of  slate  at  Egypt  is  probably 
thicker  than  at  any  other  place  in  the  coal  field.  At  Evans' 
mills  it  is  scarcely  greater  than  six  hundred  feet  thick.  Four 
miles  farther  east  from  Egypt  the  slate  is  divided  into  four 
distinct  beds  by  drab  and  gray  sandstone,  which  are  freqilent- 
ly  covered  with  ripple  marks. 

There  is,  therefore,  considerable  diversity  in  the  formation 
of  the  slate  and  shales  with  which  the  coal  seams  are  imme- 
diately connected. 

The  slates  are  more  or  less  charged  with  sulphuret  of  iron 
when  near  the  coal ;  and  hence,  on  exposure  to  the  air,  disin- 
tegrate or  decompose,  and  become  covered  with  saline  eftio- 
rescence,  which  consists  of  the  sulphates  of  iron  and  alumina. 
The  black  slates  are  highly  bituminous,,  and  take  fire  readily, 
and  burn  with  a  white  flame.  The  greenish  calcareous  shales 
are  destitute  of  bitumen,  although  they  are  equally,  if  not 
more  fragile  than  the  black  slates.  As  a  whole,  these  slates, 
on  an  exposure  of  a  few  months  to  the  air,  fall  to  pieces  and 
decompose,  and  become  an  incoherent  heap  of  fine  slate,  in- 
termixed with  a  grayish  ash  or  earth.  The  dip  of  the  slate 
in  the  shaft  of  Egypt,  at  the  depth  of  three  hundred  feet,  is 
nineteen  degrees.  This  angle  is  very  constant  from  near  the 
top  to  the  bottom  of  the  shaft.    There  is  a  slight  change, 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGHCAL    SURVEY.  235 

which  indicates  that  the  clip  will  become  less  towards  the 
middle  of  the  trough,  inasmuch  as  at  the  outcrop  of  the  coal 
seam  at  the  Taylor  plantation  the  dip  is  twenty-two  degrees. 

§  231.  The  number  of  seams  of  coal  which  have  been 
recognized  are  five.  The  first  or  upper  is  the  most  important. 
Its  width  is  six-and-a-half  feet.  It  consists  of  two  seams,  sep- 
arated by  a  seam  of  black  band  similar  to  the  celebrated 
Scotch  black  band,  which  is  celebrated  for  its  valuable  prop- 
erties in  the  manufacture  of  iron.  This  variety  of  iron  ore  I 
observed  at  Farmville,  soon  after  the  slope  had  extended  one 
hundred  feet.  At  the  surface  or  outcrop  it  is  indistinct,  and 
would  pass  for  the  common  black  slate  ^  but  it  becomes  heavy 
and  perceptibly  rich  in  iron  when  it  is  beyond  the  reach  of 
atmospheric  influences.  The  black  band  I  believe  accompa- 
nies all  the  coal  seams,  and  as  the  connexion  of  this  mass  is 
such  that  it  may  be  raised  with  the  coal,  it  becomes  a  valua- 
ble addition  to  the  resources  of  the  coalfield. 

§  232.  The  fire-clays,  though  they  are  not  found  at  the  bot- 
tom of  ever}^  seam,  still  are  quite  common  in  the  slates. 
They  are  traversed  by  organic  remains  vertically ;  but  con- 
tain an  entirely  different  series  of  vegetable  from  those  of 
the  older  coalfields.  Stems  of  sigellaria  or  stigmaria  are  un- 
known. Those  plants  which  do  occur,  are  so  closely  inter- 
laced and  matted  together,  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  de- 
termine their  forms.  We  find,  therefore,  the  slates  and  the 
coal  measures  to  be  made  up  of  beds  which  are  perfectly 
analogous  to  those  of  the  coalfields  of  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio. 
This  fact  is  quite  interesting,  as  it  furnishes  a  refutation  of  a 
geological  dogma,  that  all  the  valuable  coals  belong  to  the 
carboniferous  period.  1.  We  find  the  black  bituminous  slates 
so  highly  charged  as  to  burn  readily.  2.  The  coal  seams 
which  in  the  aggregate  are  nearly  seven  feet  thick.  3.  The 
black  band,  an  ore  supposed  to  be  peculiar  to  the  carbonife- 
rous epoch.  4.  Bands  of  argillaceous  iron  ore  both  in  balls 
and  beds.  5.  Fire-clays  abounding  in  vegetable  fibres  and 
stones,  the  former  of  which  appear  to  be  roots ;  one  bed  of 
fire-clay  is  fifteen  feet  thick ;  and  beds  occur  which  are  not 
.  accompanied  with  a  coal  seam.     We  find,  therefore,  all  the 


236  KOETH-OAKOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   SUKVET. 

coneomitants  of  a  coal  series  whicli  belong  to  the  carbonife- 
rous epocli.  The  seams  of  coal  which  have  been  exposed  to 
the  greatest  extent  are  bituminous ;  but  semi-bituminous  seams 
are  known,  which  are  separated  from  the  former  several  hun- 
dred feet.  For  example,  there  is  a  seam  of  anthracite  near 
the  junction  of  the  slate  with  the  upper  red  sandstone  at  the 
Gulf,  Its  extent  is  unknown.  Another  U  known  as  the  Wil- 
cox seam.  The  latter  is  one  mile  south  of  the  Murchison 
seam,  and  I  have  at  times  entertained  the  opinion  that  it  is 
near  the  inferior  sandstone,  but  still  have  doubts  respecting 
its  position,  and  should  not  be  disappointed  if  it  turned  out 
that  it  holds  a  position  above  the  bituminous  seams.  It  is 
probably  a  local  change,  although  I  have  not  observed  any- 
local  cause  which  is  competent  to  dissipate  the  bituminous 
matter.  At  the  Gulf,  and  also  at  Evans'  mills,  the  semi-bitu- 
minous seams  are  near  a  heavy  trap  dyke,  which  apparently 
accounts  for  the  condition  of  the  coal. 

§  233.  The  upper  red  sandstone  diifers  slightly  in  aspect 
from  the  lower.  It  is  more  marly  ;  and  although  hard  beds 
occur  frequently,  yet  by  far  the  greater  part  of  the  rock  is 
soft  and  perishable.  Its-  color  is  the  same ;  and  a  geologist 
might  pass  from  the  lower  to  the  upper  sandstone  without 
being  aware  of  the  fact.  Still,  an  inspection  of  the  fossils 
which  have  been  obtained  from  each  respectively,  demon- 
strates clearly  the  importance  of  regarding  them  as  two  dis- 
tinct sandstones,  belonging  to  two  distinct  epochs. 

The  upper  may  be  characterized  by  saying  that  it  consists 
of  hard  brown  beds,  alternating  brown,  or  red,  and  mottled 
marls  or  clays,  or  those  which  are  variegated.  The  spots  are 
green  or  greenish,  and  usually  distinctly  circumscribed.  The 
beds  are  frequently  marked  by  cavities  of  an  irregular  form, 
which  are  evidently  caused  by  the  former  presence  of  some 
salt,  as  the  chloride  of  sodium,  which  is  invariably  dissolved 
out.  The  lower  part  of  this  sandstone  is  pebbly;  indeed  it 
may  be  regarded  as  beginning  in  a  conglomerate,  which  is 
another  fact  which  goes  to  prove  that  it  is  separated  from  the 
lower  by  a  change  in  the  physical  condition  of  the  country. 
The  beds  of  conglomerate  rest  upon  a  gray  or  drab-colored 


^    .  ifORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  237 

sandstone.  The  conglomerates  are  below  the  greenish  shales, 
which  are  some  ten  feet  thick,  and  in  which  I  have  found 
cycads,  ferns  and  certain  forms  of  conifera  belonging  princi- 
pally to  sycopodiacca.  Above  this  plant  bed,  the  rock  is  a 
sandstone  of  a  reddish  color,  with  a  very  few  beds  which  are 
gray. 

"We  may,  therefore,  enumerate  the  beds  which  form  the 
upper  series,  as  follows,  beginning  with  the  inferior  beds : 

1.  Gray  or  drab-colored  sandstones,  which  probably  belong  to  the  coal  measures. 

2.  Beds  of  conglomerate,  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet  thick. 

3.  Green  and  dark  colored  slates,  with  plants,  consisting  of  cycads,  ferns,  &c. 

4.  Red  and  gray  sandstones  and  marls,  more  or  less  mottled  with  green,  green- 

ish and  white,  some  of  which  contain  the  posidonia. 

The  most  important  localities  for  examination  of  the  con- 
glomerates are :  1.  Mr.  House's  quarries,  upon  Haw  river ^ 
at  Haywood;  2.  Jones'  Falls;  and  3.  A  locality  about  six 
miles  south-west  from  Jones'  Falls,  on  the  plantation  of  Mr, 
Ellington. 

The  conglomerates  which  crop  out  at  the  two  first  localities, 
have  been  mistaken  for  those  at  the  base  of  the  lower  sand- 
stone ;  for  at  Jones'  Falls  it  is  evident  that  the  whole  thick- 
ness of  rock  belonging  to  the  sandstone  series  is  less  than 
thirty  feet.  It  is  not  so  distinct  at  House's  quarry,  upon  the 
Haw  river.  At  Mr.  Ellington's,  however,  the  same  con- 
oiomerates  are  far  above  the  bottom  rocks  of  the  series.  The 
thickness  of  the  sandstones  beneath,  at  this  place,  cannot  be 
less  than  eight  hundred  feet. 

The  identity  of  these  beds  of  conglomerate  is  proved  by 
the  presence  of  the  plant  bed,  which  occupies  the  same  rela- 
tive position  to  the  conglomerate,  and  furnishes  the  same  spe- 
cies of  plants. 

I  have  been  particular  in  stating  these  facts,  for  they 
change  the  whole  aspect  of  the  question  respecting  the  age 
of  this  formation.  If  it  were  true,  as  most  of  the  geologists 
who  have  visited  Jones'  Falls  on  Deep  river  have  asserted, 
that  the  conglomerates  there  were  at  the  base  of  the  lower 
red  sandstone,  it  would  be  necessary  to  group  in  one  system 
the  whole  formation  whose  age  or  epoch  would  be  that  of  the 


238  NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

new  red  sandstone,  being  determined  by  the  vegetables  con- 
tained in  the  plant  bed ;  but,  when  the  facts  are  presented  as 
in  the  foregoing  paragrahps,  we  are  satisfied  that  the  plants 
belong  to  the  npper  beds,  and  it  is  to  this  age  and  epoch  onlj 
that  they  belong.  They  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  age 
of  the  lower,  being  separated  from  it  by  the  coal  mea- 
sures, and  also  by  beds  of  conglomerates.  It  will  be  seen 
from  the  foregoing,  also,  why  I  have  taken  the  position  that 
it  is  the  lower  sandstone  and  coal  measures  which  thin  out 
as  the  series  passes  from  Mclver's  to  Jones'  Falls.  For 
at  Jones's  Falls,  the  beds  below  the  plant  bed  cannot  ex- 
ceed forty  feet ;  while  at  Ellington's,  only  six  miles  from 
Jones',  the  thickness  of  the  rocks  beneath  it  is  at  least  eight 
hundred.  This  fact,  of  itself,  proves  that  the  conglomerate 
at  Jones'  Falls  is  not  the  conglomerate  of  the  lower  red,  from 
which  the  millstones  are  taken,  six  miles  from  Carthage,  and 
which  I  have  stated  are  about  sixty  feet  thick.  These  lower 
beds  of  conglomerate  sometimes  enclose  lignite,  or  stems  of 
wood  which  are  carbonized ;  but  I  have  not  been  able  to  dis- 
cover in  connexion  with  them  beds  of  slate  or  shale  equiva- 
lent to  those  I  have  already  described.  I  have  carefully 
sought  for  them  near  Egypt  and  the  Gulf,  without  success. 
Beds  of  conglomerate,  occupying  about  the  same  horizon  as 
those  of  Jones'  and  Ellingtons',  traverse,  T  believe,  the  whole 
length  of  the  formation.  The}"  may  be  observed  at  Benjamin 
Wickers,  and  near  the  saw-mill  of  Mr.  Mclver,  from  which 
place  they  may  be  traced  to  Egx-pt.  The  plant  bed  has  not 
been  observed  west  of  Ellington's  ;  but  the  rocks  pass  mostly 
through  a  forest,  where  the  debris  of  the  sandstone  conceals 
a  large  part  of  the  formation,  and  hence,  it  is  highly  proba- 
ble it  may  be  covered  up. 

I  have  now  stated  those  facts  relative  to  the  sandstone  se- 
ries of  Deep  river,,  which  are  necessary  for  a  correct  under- 
standing of  the  divisions  which  have  been  proposed,  and 
which  may  be  recapitulated  in  a  brief  form  at  this  place. 

1 .  Lower  red  sandstone  with  its  conglomerate. 

2.  Coal  measures,  consisting  of  drab  colored  sandstones,  bituminous  slates  and 
calcareous  shale,  coal  seams,  fire-clay,  and  bands  of  iron  stone. 


NORTB-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  239 

3.  Upper  led  san dstone,  with  mottled  sandstones  and  marls,  together  with  its 
conglomerates  at  the  base,  green  shales  with  plats  belonging  to  the  order  cyca- 
dacea,  ferns  and  sycopodiacea,  etc. 

In  a  country  wliich  is  only  slightly  disturbed,  and  wliere  so 
much  of  the  rock  is  concealed  beneath  its  own  debris,  it  is 
extremely  difficult  to  obtain  certain  facts  which  bear  upon 
the  conformalities  of  the  series.  There  seems  to  be  a  slight 
unconformability  of  the  upper  red  sandstone  and  marls  with  , 
the  lower ;  but  it  is  slight,  and  a  geologist  might  honestly 
question  the  accuracy  of  the  opinion.  If  the  coming  in  of 
the  upper  conglomerate  marks  the  position  of  an  unconfor- 
mability, that,  together  with  the  fossils  of  the  plant  bed,  would 
indicate  the  commencement  of  the  series  which,,  in  Germany, 
is  known  under  the  name  of  the  Keuper  sandstone,  which 
usually  succeeds  the  Huschelkalk.  But  in  Shuringia  the 
Keuper  rests  upon  a  jDlant  bed  which  consists  of  slates  con- 
taining cycads,  ferns,  etc.,  not  unlike  those  of  Deep  river, 
and  which  stand  apparently  in  the  same  relation  as  those  be- 
longing to  the  foreign  locality  already  referred  to. 


CHAPTEK  XXXIII. 

GeograpMcal  extent  of  the  Coal  Measiires^  together  with  the 
binder  and  overlying  Sandstones. 

§  23,4.  It  is  evidently  important  to  determine  the  area  over 
which  a  coal  series  extends.  Their  importance  or  value  rests 
upon  such  a  determination  when  their  value  to  the  public  at 
large  is  to  be  decided,  and  especially  when  large  expendi- 
tures are  required  to  convey  it  to  market.  It  has  been  main- 
tained that  this  coalfield  is  of  little  value  to  the  immediate 
country  in  which  it  is  situated.  This  view  is  undoubtedly  er- 
roneous, though  the  fact  upon  which  it  is  founded  may  be 


240  NOETH-CAEOLtiTA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY; 

trtle.  For  the  warming  of  houses,  for  example,  it  may  not 
be  necessary,  in  consequence  of  the  forests  which  still  re- 
main, and  the  rapidity  with  which  they  are  renewed,  when 
removed  for  tillage ;  yet,  coal  is  important  in  the  arts,  it  is 
important  as  a  fuel  everywhere  in  conducting  most  branches 
of  manufacturing  industry.  It  is  so,  because  it  is  cheaper 
and  better  adapted  to  many  pursuits  than  wood  or  charcoal. 
The  coal,  therefore,  is  important  in  the  immediate  neighbor- 
hood where  it  is  found,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  best  or  cheap- 
est fuel  which  can  be  employed  in  the  manufacture  of  iron. 
It  is  taken  for  granted,  that  the  people  require  additional 
means  for  getting  their  produce  to  market.  The  time  has 
come  when  the  ordinary  means  of  transportation  of  the  pro- 
duce of  the  plantation  must  be  superseded  by  those  which 
are  more  rapid  and  certain,  and  which  can  be  felled  upon  for 
quantity ;  so  also,  those  which  cheapen  taansportation  must 
be  constructed,  if  the  country  wishes  to  prosper.  The  manu- 
facture of  iron,  therefore,  by  means  of  coal,  does  not  presup- 
pose that  new  and  expensive  means  of  transportation  to  mar- 
ket for  its  own  accommodation.  It  comes  in,  however,  in  aid 
of  those  means  which  the  planter  and  farmer  require, 
whether  manufacturing  projects  are  devised  and  carried  into 
execution  or  not. 

The  coal  of  Deep  river  will  be  useful  at  home,  and  may  be 
explored  for  domestic  manufacturing  with  profit,  although 
the  country  in  its  immediate  neighborhood  is  well  wooded. 
When  this  view  is  taken  in  connexion  with  the  fact  that  it 
may  also  be  transported  to  market  with  the  ordinary  profits 
of  this  business,  the  value  of  the  coalfield  begins  to  assume 
its  importance. 

§  235.  The  first  statement  respecting  the  geographical  ex- 
tent of  this  series  with  which  the  coal  stands  connected,  is 
that  relating  to  the  sandstones,  which  occupy  a  much  larger 
area  than  that  part  of  the  series  which  contains  the  coal,  or 
which  has  been  called  the  coal  measures. 

The  rocks  occupy  a  deep  depression  in  the  oldest  sedimen- 
tary slates.  In  whatever  direction  the  series  is  approached, 
this  fact  becomes  perceptible ;  the  outer  border  is  always  be- 


1 


SKCf  ION    NV  t. 


..!>' 


'  Catiiwli.-  Tvivi. 


Iiconit   Hocki 


N°   1      CONTINIFED. 


N?    I     CONTINriKD. 


*        >•        <*    <?■ 


•i?  5"  >  ^^  •«  5; 


JAni'?^MuiTii>,    Lid'  -AlbcvtivN  "i 


4 

NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  241 

low  the  surrounding  country ;  and  to  reach  the  sandstones, 
there  is  a  descent  both  on  the  north-western  and  south-eastern 
sides.  This  long  valley,  prior  to  the  deposition  of  the  rocks 
which  now  occupy  it,  must  have  been  very  deep.  This  is 
evident,  from  the  fact  that  the  series  is  very  thick. 

This  valley  is  now  isolated  or  cut  off  from  those  in  which 
similar  formations  are  known  to  exist.  It  is  therefore  an  in- 
dependent one,  so  far  as  the  Dan  river  or  the  Richmond  se- 
ries are  concerned.  The  long  axis  of  this  valley  is  parallel,  ap- 
proximately at  least  with  both,  though  it  has  no  connexion  with 
either.  I  have  traced  this  valley,  with  its  sandstones,  from  a 
point  about  six  miles  from  Oxford,  in  Granville  county,  across 
the  State  in  a  south-westerly  direction.  It  passes  into  South- 
Carolina,  about  six  or  seven  miles,  where  it  terminates. 
Within  the  State  its  length  is  about  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles.  Its  breadth  is  variable.  Where  it  terminates  near 
Oxford,  in  Granville  county,  it  is  very  narrow,  or  indeed  runs 
to  a  point.  The  widest  part  is  between  Raleigh  and  Chapel 
Hill,  on  the  line  of  which  it  is  eighteen  miles  wide.  On  the 
Neuse  it  is  twelve.  On  the  Cape  Fear,  between  Jones'  Falls 
and  the  Buckhorn,  it  scarcely  exceeds  six  miles.  This  is  one 
of  the  narrowest  places  of  the  series,  it  widens  rapidly  in  a 
north-easterly  and  south-westerly  direction,  till,  towards 
Chapel  Hill,  or  rather  eastward  of  that  place,  it  becomes 
eighteen  miles,  as  stated,  from  which  it  soon  diminishes  in 
breadth.  From  Capt.  E.  Bryan's,  at  Jones'  Falls,  the  direc- 
tion of  the  western  margin,  for  about  six  miles,  is  about  south- 
west. Soon  afterward  its  course  is  more  westerly,  and  even 
sweeps  around  and  takes  a  northerly  course ;  but  afterwards 
resumes  a  south-west  course  into  South-Carolina,  after  cross- 
ing the  corner  of  Union  county.  The  auriferous  slates  may 
be  observed  at  numerous  places  on  the  north-western  border. 
The  exceptions  which  have  fallen  under  my  notice  show  the 
series  in  a  metamorphic  condition.  At  Capt.  Bryan's,  a  belt 
of  chert  and  porphyry  rises  from  beneath  the  sandstones,  and 
extends  seven  or  eight  miles  in  a  north-easterly  direction. 
A  similar  belt  also  rises  up  from  beneath  the  same  series  one- 
and-a-half  miles  northerly  from  the  Gulf,  on  the  plankroad, 
16  4 


242  NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 

and  pursues  a  course  parallel  with  the  former.  This  is  proba- 
bly a  repetition  of  the  series  at  Jones'  Falls.  But  the  un- 
changed slates  emerge  in  an  unconformable  position  at  nu- 
merous places  in  Chatham  and  Moore  counties,  among  which 
I  may  mention  the  millstone  quarries  on  the  waters  of  Rich- 
land creek,  the  tributaries  of  Indian  creek  within  one  mile  of 
Evans'  bridge,  and  on  the  road  leading  to  Salem,  and  again 
about  a  mile  above  the  mouth  of  Line  creek,  which  enters 
Deep  river  not  far  above  the  same  bridge.  An  important 
point  which  exhibits  the  junction  of  the  series  is  about  one- 
and-a-half  miles  from  Farmers ville,  on  the  Pittsborough  road, 
where  a  deep  ravine  divides  the  lower  conglomerate  and  red 
sandstone  from  the  slates  of  the  Taconic  system.  The  slates, 
as  usual,  dip  nearly  to  the  north-west  at  a  high  angle,  while 
the  sandstones  dip  from  them,  or  southerly,  at  a  very  moderate 
inclination.  An  interesting  exposure  of  the  inferior  beds  of 
these  sediments,  resting  upon  the  slates,  occurs  at  the  quarry 
of  Mr.  Seawells,  where  the  conglomerate  or  millstone  has 
been  entirely  removed,  by  which  an  intervening  stratum  of 
clay  which  rests  upon  the  edges  of  the  slate  is  exposed.  The 
conglomerate  or  millstone  grit  is  about  forty  feet  thick.  It 
dips  at  an  angle  of  seventeen  or  eighteen  degrees,  and  to  the 
south-east.  On  the  north-west  side  it  appears,  from  observa- 
tion, to  repose  upon  the  gold  slates,  especially  all  of  it  south 
of  Orange  county ;  or  upon  rocks  of  the  same  series,  and 
which  have  been  changed,  or  have  been  porphyritic.  The 
width  of  the  lower  sandstone  on  the  north-west  side,  beyond 
its  junction  with  the  bituminous  slates,  varies  at  different 
places;  it  is  from  three-fourths  of  a  mile  to  three  miles- 
Small  fields  are  still  farther  removed,  but  they  are  usually 
isolated,  and  cut  off  by  projecting  ridges  of  the  older  slates. 
The  largest  field  which  is  thus  isolated,  is  in  Anson  county. 

§  236.  The  south-east  margin  is  concealed  through  all  that 
part  which  lies  south-west  of  Cape  Fear  river  but  at  several 
points  near  the  margin  where  the  auriferous  slates  make 
their  appearance.  In  Anson  county,  one  mile-and-a-half 
sout-east  of  Wadesborough,  the  red  sandstones  dip  gently  to 
the  west.    But  the  characters  which  these  rocks  exhibit  in- 

4 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  243 

dicate  that  it  is  the  upper  sandstone  whicli  is  tlius  prolonged. 
It  resembles  that  of  Brassfield's,  sixteen  miles  from  Ealeigh, 
on  the  Hillsborough  road,  where  the  sandstones  become  cal- 
careous and  somewhat  nodular.  But  neither  place  furnishes 
fossils,  and  hence  the  criteria  by  which  to  judge  of  their 
identity  are  indecisive.  I  would  not  make  the  statement  res- 
pecting this  question  without  reservation.  Yet,  those  calca- 
reous concretions  seem  to  belong  to  the  upper  mass  at  Brass- 
iields,  and  those  near  Wadesborough  closely  resemble  them. 
The  south-east  side,  from  its  crossing  of  the  Cape  Fear  to  the 
Pedee,  is  usually  covered  with  the  tertiary  sands.  We  are 
unable,  therefore,  to  learn  the  character  of  this  margin, 
whether  it  is  horizontal,  or  dips  away  or  towards  the  axis  of 
the  formation.  There  is  no  exposure  by  which  the  position 
of  the  coal  measures  can  be  determined ;:  this  part  of  the  se- 
ries does  not  appear  on  this  side ;  there  is  no  positive  fact 
from  which  we  can  judge  of  its  existence  at  all;  and  this  be- 
comes still  more  obscure,  in  consequence  of  the  facts  which 
have  been  already  stated,  which  have  led  me  to  believe  that 
it  is  the  upper  sandstone  which  is  prolonged,  and  forms  the 
extreme  points  of  the  formation.  Plence,  it  is  not  improba- 
ble that  the  upper  sandstone  extends  beyond  the  coal  mea- 
sures, and  conceals  them  from  observation.  If  so,  there  are 
no  inducements  of  sufficient  value  which  would  warrant  the 
expenditure  of  capital  in  attempting  to  obtain  them  upon  the 
south-east  side.  North  of  the  Cape  Fear,  as  the  formation 
passes  onward  through  Orange  into  G-ranville  county,  the 
southrcast  side  is  equally  unpromising  for  coal ;  while  on  the 
north-west  side,  about  six  miles  from  Chapel  Hill,  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Mr.  Mooring^s,  in  Chatham  county^  there  is  an 
exposure  of  black  slate,  containing  the  common  fossils  of  this 
part  of  the  coal  measures.  But  this  exposure  is  limited  ;  and 
from  this  locality  the  indications  of  the  presence  of  coal  can- 
not be  discovered,  or  they  are  merely  lignite  beds,  which  are 
the  products  of  a  single  coniferous  tree.  It  is  not  difficult  to 
distinguish  these  appearances  from  those  which  accompany 
the  coal  seams.  In  the  former,  its  speedy  removal  from  its 
bed  should  be  sufficient  to  satisfy  every  reasonable  mind, 


244  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

though  many  still  persist  in  seeing  a  coal  seam  in  a  flattened 
stem  of  an  ancient  tree,  provided  it  is  fully  carbonized. 

We  find  the  coal  measures  confined  mostly  to  the  central 
part  of  the  sandstones,  where  they  traverse  the  counties  of 
Chatham  and  Moore.  The  formation  pursues  a  westerly 
course,  parallel  witli  the  general  direction  of  Deep  I'iver. 
The  outcrop  crosses  the  river  between  Evander  Mclver's  and 
the  Hornville  property,  thence  by  Farmersville,  it  crosses 
the  river  obliquely  at  Egypt,  and  soon  recrosses  it  again  near 
the  fish-trap,  and  passes  into  the  Taylor  plantation.  It  con- 
tinues on  the  north  side  of  the  river  until  it  passes  the  plan- 
tation of  Mr.  Murchison,  from  which  it  crosses  it  again  for 
the  last  time  into  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Fooshee,  where  the 
coal  series  is  well  developed,  three  or  four  seams  of  good  coal 
having  been  exposed  by  several  excavations  directly  over  the 
outcrop  of  the  seams.  The  direction  of  the  outcrop  of  the 
coal  seams  from  Murchison's  to  Fooshee's  is  S.  54°  W.,  which 
may  be  taken  as  the  direction  which  the  north-western  mar- 
gin pursues  for  the  next  eight  or  ten  miles ;  after  which  the 
direction  is  about  S.  45°  W,  The  extent  of  the  coal  seams  in 
this  direction  is  not  determined.  The  features  of  the  forma- 
tion are  still  favorable  for  their  continuance.  The  coal  seams 
upon  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Fooshee  are  equal  in  thickness^ 
and  possess  qualities  of  the  same  nature  as  those  of  Egypt. 
There  is,  therefore,  grounds  for  the  expectation  of  its  contin- 
uance still  farther  in  this  direction.  But  the  outcrop  of  the 
series  is  concealed,  and  requires  the  expenditure  of  capital  to 
test  the  correctness  of  this  expectation. 

The  whole  length  of  the  outcrop,  following  its  windings,  is 
about  thirty  miles.  The  extreme  point  beyond  Evander  Mc- 
. Ivor's,  where  the  coal  seams  have  been  discovered,  is  at  Martin 
Dyer's,  where  a  boring  cut  a  seam  near  the  outcrop  ten  inches 
thick.  The  locality  still  farther  north-eastward  in  this  direc- 
tion, known  as  the  Rhiney  Wicker's  property,  but  owned  by 
Mr.  Ellington,  does  not  belong  to  the  same  series  as  the  Egypt 
and  other  seams,  whose  value  lias  been  tested.     The  Ellington 


seam  is  in  connexion  with  the  plant  bed  I  have  spoken  of, 
aiid  undoubtedly  belongs  to  the  upper  sandstone.     It  is  less^ 


NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  245 

than  three  inches  thick,  and  therefore  of  no  importance.  I 
have  spoken  of  this  locaKty  in  former  reports,  but  had  not 
visited  it.  When,  however,  I  had  an  opportunity  to  examine 
the  character  of  the  beds  in  which  it  occurs,  I  was  satisfied 
it  was  wholly  unconnected  with  the  true  coal  measures  of  the 
lower  series.  The  existence  of  coal  seams  has,  therefore, 
been  determined  by  the  auger,  and  by  excavations  from  Mar- 
tin Dyer's  to  Mr,  Fooshee's,  on  the  south  side  ol  the  Deep 
river,  in  Moore  county.  The  coal  slates  are  known  to  be  pro- 
longed in  each  direction  from  these  points ;  and  though  the 
existence  of  the  coal  seams  in  the  prolonged  slate  may  be 
questioned,  still,  there  are  no  reasons  for  their  immediate  dis- 
continuance. It  should,  however,  be  stated  here,  that  the 
slates  beyond  Martin  Dyer's  are  known  only  for  about  two 
miles,  where  they  are  accompanied  with  tine  beds  of  argilla- 
ceous oxide  of  iron.  But  they  extend  much  farther  to  the 
south-west,  and  nearly  to  the  Great  Pedee.  But  their  thick- 
ness is  diminished  at  Drowning  Creek,  and  there  are  no  ex- 
posures of  iron  ore.  Beyond  the  Great  Pedee,  in  Anson 
county,  the  black  slates,  if  they  occur  at  all,  are  feeble  or 
thin ;  though  this  plat  of  the  formation  may  be  concealed  by 
the  deep  soil  of  the  valley,  still  the  prospects  for  finding  coal 
are  not  encouraging.  My  opinion  with  respect  to  the  extent 
of  the  coal  is,  that  it  will  be  prolonged  about  ten  miles ;  that 
it  will  turn  out  that  the  continuous  outcrop  will  be,  ultimate- 
ly, about  forty  miles ;  that  it  will  be  extended  farther  in  a 
south-west  than  in  a  north-east  direction  is  rendered  probable, 
from  the  fact,  that  in  the  latter  direction  I  am  unable  to  per- 
ceive that  the  seams  show  any  signs  of  giving  out ;  and  it  is 
in  this  direction  that  the  black  slate  is  extended  much  farther 
than  in  the  others  I  have  referred  to. 

I  do  not  deem  it  necessary  to  enter  upon  a  discussion  re- 
specting the  probable  extent  of  the  coal  seams  in  the  direc- 
tion of  their  dip.  Circumstances  have  changed  since  the 
publication  of  the  first  report,  in  which  I  made  certain  condi- 
tional statements  of  the  probable  quantity  of  coal  in  the  Deep 
river  formation.  At  that  time  doubts  were  entertained,  and 
freely  expressed,  whether  Chatham  and  Moore  contained  a 


24:6  NORTH-CAHOLINA  GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

coalfield  at  all.  Believing,  as  I  had  a  right,  that  those  were 
erroneous  views,  and  calculated  to  injure  the  interests  of  the 
State,  I  felt  bound  to  make  those  statements  which  would 
place  in  its  true  light  the  value  of  this  coalfield ;  for,  if  those 
interests  were  abandoned  at  that  time,  the  prospect  for  im- 
proving this  property  would  be  delayed  necessarily  for  a  long- 
time. I  believed  that  the  most  important  interests  of  the 
State  were  centered  upon  Deep  river.  Those  interests  were 
not  confined  to  a  single  product,  nor  a  single  enterprise. 
There  were  two  great  interests  at  stake,  that  which  related  to 
the  production  of  coal,  and  that  which  related  to  the  produc- 
tion of  iron.  Here  were  the  raw  materials.  Here  were  the 
elements  which,  if  properly  used  and  employed,  would  in- 
crease the  wealth  of  this  section  of  country  more  than  four- 
fold. But  more  than  this,  I  saw  in  it  a  stimulus  to  enterprise 
and  mental  activity.  Industry  would  be  promoted  in  every 
branch  of  pursuit  which  the  products  of  this  section  of  the 
State  could  foster.  It  did  not  confine  itself  to  coal  and  iron, 
but  extended  to  agriculture  and  home  manufactures.  The 
stimulus  arising  from  success  would  pervade  the  whole  com- 
munity, and  put  a  new  aspect  on  society. 


CHAPTER  XXXIY. 


Quantity  and  quality  of  the  Deep  river   Coal — Composi- 
tion^ etc. 

§  237.  I  have  stated  that  it  seems  unnecessary  to  express, 
at  the  present  time,  an  opinion  respecting  the  quantity  of  ac- 
cessible coal  in  the  Deep  river  district.  I  believe  the  devel- 
opments are  now  sufficient  to  establish  its  character,  and  that 
the  deep  shaft  at  Egypt  contains  what  we  had  a  right  to  ex- 
pect, or  were  justified  in  expecting.    It  has  established  this 


NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  24T 

position,  that  the  known  quantity  demanded  the  construction 
of  means  to  carry  it  to  market ;  and  these  means  are  now  so 
far  completed,  that  there  is  no  danger  the  pubUc  will  take  a 
retrograde  course.  Times  haye  been,  when  there  was  danger 
that  all  the  works  for  developing  the  resources  of  this  coal- 
field would  stop,  and  the  public  are  indebted,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, to  the  exertions  of  Mr.  McLane,  for  the  completion  of 
an  enterprise  which  imparts  confidence  where  it  was  want- 
ing, and  at  the  same  time  infuses  new  energy  in  the  few  who 
were  always  confident  of  ultimate  success. 

§  238.  The  quality  of  the  coal  is  of  a  high  order ;  it  is 
true  it  is  not  equal  to  the  Breckinridge  coal  for  its  volatile 
matters,  but  it  equals  it  in  its  combustible  products.  For  the 
purpose  of  giving  a  greater  publicity  to  the  excellent  charac- 
:^er  of  this  coal,  I  shall  make  use  of  the  analyses  which  have 
been  made  of  it,  together  with  others  which  are  well  known, 
and  which  will  serve  as  standards  for  comparison.  No  one 
had  pursued  a  plan  so  thorough  as  the  late  Prof.  Johnson, 
whose  experience  in  this  line  of  investigation  was  equal,  if 
not  greater,  than  any  of  whom  we  could  boast.  They  are 
characterized  by  thoroughness,  which  gives  confidence  in 
their  accuracy.  I  shall,  therefore,  deem  it  proper  to  put  in 
circulation  again  the  analyses  which  were  issued  in  a  report, 
the  circulation  of  which  has  been  extremely  limited,  and 
which  it  is  now  difficult  to  procure. 

The  first  analysis  of  this  order  was  made  of  the  coal  of  the 
lower  seam,  at  Farmersville,  and  recently  mined.  The  com- 
position was  found  to  be  as  follows : 

Volatile   matter, 80.91 

Fixed  carbon, 50.70    ' 

Earthy   matter, 18.32 

99.93 

The  specific  gravity  of  the  specimen  1.416.    The  coke  of 
this  coal  is  light  and  puffy,  ashes  purplish  gray- 
A  second  specimen  gave — 


248  NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUKVET. 

Volatile  matter, 28.47 

Fixed   carbon, ' 64.70 

Earthy  matter, 6.83 


100.00 


Specific  gravity  1.497.     Coked  very  slowly.     Ashes  brown- 
ish red. 
A  third  specimen  from  the  lower  seam,  gave, 

Volatile  matter, 30.85 

Fixed   carbon,... 63.90 

Earthy  matter, 5.25 

100.00 

Specific  gravity  1.415.    Ashes  white  and  very  light. 
The  fourth  specimen  gave, 

Volatile  matter, 81.30 

Fixed   carbon, 64.40 

Earthy  matter, 4.30 

100.00 

Specific  gravity  1.308.     Coked  slowly.    Ashes  nearly  white. 

The  foregoing  analyses  were  made  of  coal  taken  only  a 
few  feet  from  the  surface.  They  are  designed  to  show,  in 
part,  the  effect  of  meteoric  influences  which  had  necessarily 
diminished  the  amount  of  volatile,  and  increased  relatively 
the  earthy  matters,  as  well  as  to  increase  also  the  quantity  of  hy- 
grometric  water.  This  coal  at  greater  depths  is  found  to  sustain 
this  veiw,  as  will  be  seen  by  analyses  of  coal  taken  from  great- 
er depths,  and  farther  removed  from  atmospheric  influence. 

Coal  taken  from  the  deep  pit  at  Egypt,  and  analyzed  for  me 
by  Dr.  Jackson,  gave, 

Fixed  carbon, 68.6 

Garb.  Hydrogen  gas, 34.8 

Ashes, 1.6 

99.0 

Color  of  the  ashes  reddish  brown. 


NORTH- CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


249 


This  coal,  it  is  true,  was  not  takeu  from  the  same  place  as 
those  whose  analyses  have  been  given  in  the  preceding  para- 
graphs ;  but  the  Egypt  and  the  Farmersville  coal  cannot  be 
distinguished  from  each  other,  when  taken  from  about  the 
same  depth.  The  analysis  of  the  Egypt  coal  shows  a  better 
quality  and  an  increase  of  volatile  matter,  and  less  earth  or 
ash ;  probably  no  analysis  shows  a  better  composition  for  all 
the  purposes  for  which  coal  is  employed.  Another  mode  of 
testing  the  value  of  coals,  is  to  determine  the  amount  of 
steam  which  a  given  quantity  of  coal  will  generate.  Thus 
Johnson  found,  by  experiment,  that  the  steam  producing  or 
evaporating  power  of  this  coal,  was  equivalent  to  8.1 ;  or  that 
one  pound  of  coal  would  convert  8,1  pounds  of  water  into 
steam ;  and  also,  that  one  part,  by  weight,  of  dried  coal,  will 
reduce  twenty-six  and  ninety-seven  hundredths  times  its 
weight  of  lead. 

The  following  table  of  comparison  is  quoted  from  Prof. 
Johnson's  report,  showing  the  evaporative  and  lead  produc- 
ing power  of  coals  taken  from  the  different  pits  of  the  Eich- 
mond  basin,  and  certain  foreign  bituminous  coals,  which  hold 
about  the  same  rank  as  to  reducing  and  steam  producing 
power.  In  an  economical  point  of  view,  this  comparison  is 
interesting;  showing  that  the  coals  of  the  Richmond  and 
Deep  river  basins  do  not  differ  materially  from  each  other,  or 
from  those  of  the  carboniferous  period : 


Names  of  Coal. 


Chesterfield  mining  Co.  Va., . 

New  Castle,  Eng., 

Clover  Hill,  Va., 

Liverpool,  Va., 

Picton,  N.  Scotia, 

Midlothian,  Va.,   (screened,). 

Midlothian,  (average,) 

Pittsburg,  Pa 

Farmersville,  N.  C., 


Lead  reduced 

Steam   gener- 

ly one  part 

ated  ly  one 
part  of  Coal. 

of  Coal. 

25.78 

8.99 

26.78 

8.65 

26.96 

7.67 

27.07 

7.84 

27.24 

8.41 

27.28 

8.94 

27.34 

8.29 

27.54 

8.20 

26.97 

8.10 

Other  foreign,  and  particularly  British  coals,  produce  simi- 
lar results ;  the  reductive  and  evaporative  powers  do  not  ex- 
ceed those  of  Deep  river.  Thus,  according  to  the  results  ob- 
tained by  the  British  Commissioners  on  coals,  the  following 


250 


NOETH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


kinds  yield  the  following  numbers,  expressive  of  their  power, 
as  in  the  foregoing  table : 


1 

2 
3 
4 
5 
€ 
7 
8 


Names  of  Coal. 


Broomhill  coal, 

Coleshill, 

Dalkeith  Jewel  seam, . . . . 
Three-quarter  rock  vein,. 

Ponty-Poo.], 

Bedwas, 

Cwm  Frood  rock  vein,  . . . 
Grangemouth,    


Averages, 


27.11 


Lead  reduced. 

Stem  gener- 

ated. 

25.32 

8.85 

26.14 

8.00 

27.42 

7.08 

26.62 

8.84 

27.46 

7.47 

28.20 

9.97 

28.30 

8.70 

28.45 

7.40 

.09 


The  composition  of  the  Farmersville  coal,  in  a  raw  state,  as 
determined  by  organic  analysis,  is  as  follows,  the  water  be- 
ing determined  by  a  separate  process,  and,  as  equal  to  1.71 
per  cent.: 

Sulphur, 3.30 

Carbon,    68.41 

Hydrogen, 4.64 

Oxygen, 8.37 

Earthy  matter, 13.60 

Water, 1.71 


100.00 


The  excess  of  hydrogen  which  the  foregoing  analysis  ex- 
hibits, over  and  above  that  which  is  necessary  to  form  water, 
is  equivalent  to  3.57  per  cent. 

The  earthy  matter  in  the  better  specimens  of  the  Farmers- 
ville  coal,  though  taken  near  the  surface,  where  it  is  less  ex- 
posed to  meteoric  influences,  is  only  3.81  per  cent.,  instead 
of  13.60,  where  it  is  still  more  exposed;  and  an  analysis  of 
this  coal  gave  Johnson : 

Moisture,  2.35  per  cent. 

Sulphur 0.22 

Carbon,    80.20 

Hydrogen,  5.45 

Oxygen  and  other  vol.  matter, 7.97 

Earthy  matter, 3.81 


Hydrogen  in  excess, . 


100.00 
4.46 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET.  .  251 

The  fixed  carbon  of  this  variety,  when  coked  slowly,  is 
•64.57  per  cent.  The  volatile  carbon  of  the  80.20  per  cent,  is 
15.63  per  cent.;  which  leaves  the  64.57  as  the  fixed  carbon  of 
the  specimen.  Three  thirty-seven  hundredths  per  cent,  more 
passes  off  in  vapour  when  the  coal  is  coked  rapidly. 

The  question  respecting  the  presence  of  injurious  matter 
in  this  coal,  is  also  determined  by  the  foregoing  analyses. 
Thns,  sulphur  is  injurious  in  various  ways.  If  present  in  a 
large  quantity  when  burnt  in  grates,  its  odor  is  extremely 
offensive,  and  it  blackens  the  several  articles  of  furniture  which 
are  often  used.  Twenty-five  grains  triated  for  sulphur  gave 
3.3  per  cent.  Another  analysis  gave  3.20  sulphur.  It  is  evi- 
dent, both  from  experiment  and  observation,  that  the  sulphur 
diminishes  as  the  depth  increases ;  or  as  other  foreign  matter 
diminishes,  the  sulphur  also  becomes  less.  The  sulphur  in  all 
the  pits  appears  disseminated,  and  sometimes  in  lumps,  in  the 
slate,  while  I  have  observed  it  in  the  coal  seam,  only  in  one 
or  two  instances,  in  a  visible  mass  in  the  coal.  The  impure 
coals,  those  which  contain  slate,  contain  the  most  sulphur. 
When  the  coal  is  therefore  pure  and  free  from  the  foreign  ir- 
termixture  of  slate,  coprolites,  animal  and  vegetable  matter 
only  partially  changed,  then  the  sulphur  is  in  excess. 

§  239.  The  combustion  of  this  coal,  and  the  case  with 
which  it  can  be  ignited,  are  important  qualities.  It  burns 
briskly  with  a  brilliant  and  free  combustion.  It  therefore 
gives  a  pleasant  and  agreeable  fire  in  parlor  grates.  In  this 
respect,  I  believe  it  is  not  excelled  by  any  coal  now  in  market- 
This  brilliant  combustion  is  attended  with  a  swelling  of  the 
whole  mass,  by  which  a  good  hollow  fire  is  maintained,  ag- 
glutinating as  the  combustion  proceeds,  and  ending  in  the 
production  of  a  light  porous  coke.  It  is  for  these  qualities, 
that  it  is  so  well  adapted  to  the  use  of  smiths ;  and  it  is  inva- 
riably remarked  by  them,  that  they  wish  for  no  better  coal. 
In  market  it  sells  to  Blacksmiths  for  forty  cents  per  bushel. 
The  amount  of  sulphur  in  the  iron  of  the  coal  produces  inju- 
rious effects  in  iron  which  is  heated  and  welded  by  it.  It  is 
stated  by  Johnson,  that  the  sulphur  will  not  injure  it  on  ship- 
board or  on  shore. 


252  NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

Sometimes  in  a  rapid  combustion  of  the  coal  in  a  grate,  it 
melts  partially",  and  exhibits  a  tendency  to  flow.  This  fact 
shows  that  its  volatile  matter  or  bitumen  is  in  large  propor- 
tions. This  tendency,  however,  does  not  exhibit  itself  in 
slow  combustion. 

The  Breckinridge  coal  melts  and  flows  when  ignited. 
This,  however,  contains  nearly  twice  as  much  bitumen  or  vol- 
atile matter  as  the  Farmville  coal.  The  Breckinridge  has 
about  61  per  cent,  of  volatile  matter,  while  that  from  the 
Egypt  pit  has  only  34.8,  or  nearly  35  per  cent.  Whether 
the  Deep  river  coal  can  be  profitably  employed  for  the  pro- 
duction of  Goal  oil  and  other  matters  for  light,  has  yet  to  be 
determined  by  a  series  of  well  conducted  experiments.  It  is 
desirable  that  its  value  for  light  should  be  determined,  but  it 
is  probable  that  it  cannot  compete  with  several  richer  coals 
now  in  market. 

The  value  of  the  bituminous  coal  for  the  common  furnaces, 
seems  to  be  well  established ;  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  its 
value  for  warming  parlors,  or  for  grates,  for  smith's  work  of 
all  kinds,  being  both  cheaper  and  more  economical  than  char- 
coal ;  that  is,  at  forty  cents  per  bushel,  it  is  more  economical 
than  charcoal  at  five  cents.  The  value  of  the  semi-bitumin- 
ous coals  is  not  so  well  determined.  From  several  analyses 
by  Johnson,  its  composition  near  the  outcrop  has  been  deter- 
mined. Thus  the  per  centage  of  volatile  and  fixed  matters 
gave,  in 

No.  ] ,    Fixed  carbon, 83.12 

Volatile  matter, 8.28 

Earthy, 8.60 

100.00 

The  ash  is  purplish  gray.  This  specimen  had  been  long 
exposed  to  atmospheric  influences;  its  specific  gravity  1.45. 

No.  2,    Fixed  carbon, 63.76 

Volatile  matter, 6.64 

Earthy, 9.60 

100.00 

Ashes  reddish  gray.    Specific  gravity  1.54. 


KOEtS-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  25S 

No.  3,    Fixed  carbon, 87.18 

Volatile  matter, 7  35 

Earthy  matter, 6.47 

100.00 

Specific  gravity  1.47.  Ash  reddish  gray.  Obtained  from 
a  fresh  opening,  and  taken  from  the  2|-  foot  seam. 

In  this  semi-bituminous  coal  of  Geo.  Wilcox's  seams,  it  ad- 
pears  that  the  votatile  matter  is  less  than  one-fourth  of  that 
which  belongs  to  the  Farmville  or  Egypt  coal.  Tlie  value  of 
this  variety  has  not  yet  been  determined ;  it  is  doubtful 
whether  the  semi-bituminous  coals  can  be  carried  to  market, 
where  they  will  have  to  compete  with  the  Anthracite  of  Penn- 
sylvania. They  have  their  place,  howeverj  and  will  be  em- 
ployed for  warming  apartments  in  the  large  villages  and 
cities  of  the  State,  both  in  grates  and  coal  stoves.  These 
coals  would  be  well  adapted  for  the  Raleigh  and  Wilmington 
markets,  or  for  home  consumption ;  and  it  is  probable,  may 
be  employed  economically  in  the  manufacture  of  iron.  But 
the  question  is  not  yet  settled  whether  these  semi-bituminou;? 
seams  are  permanent,  or  may  not  prove  to  be  locally  anthra- 
cite or  nearly  so ;  but  w^hich  may  become  bituminous  at 
greater  depths  upon  the  dip  of  the  seams,  and  perhaps  eveu 
at  comparatively  small  depths,  the  semi-bituminous  seam  may 
become  a  bituminous  one.  As  the  value  of  the  latter  is 
greater,  such  a  result  is  to  be  hoped  for.  If  the  loss  of  bitu- 
men was  to  be  attributed  solely  to  the  local  action  of  trap 
dykes,  such  a  result  appears  highly  probable ;  but  as  a  gen- 
eral disturbance  of  the  coal  strata  seems  to  be  connected  as  a 
cause  with  the  loss  of  bitumen,  a  change  can  scarcely  be  ex- 
pected where  this  disturbance  is  excessive  at  the  surface. 
The  escape  of  steam  through  fissures  in  the  broken  coal  strata 
no  doubt  carries  off"  bitumen,  while  the  dry  heat  of  a  melted 
rock  would  operate  only  through  a  limited  extent.  This  re- 
sult arises  from  low  conducting  power  of  rocks.  It  fre- 
quently happens  that  a  rock,  in  immediate  contact  with  trap, 
is  vitrified  only  a  few  inches ;  while  on  the  other  hand,  where 
rocks  are  broken  up  and  twisted,  or  their  layers  bent,  the 


254  NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

metamorphism  is  very  extensive,  though  trap  is  nowhere  visi- 
ble in  the  altered  series.  Hence  it  is,  that  miners  are  rarely 
alarmed  when  they  see  trap  dykes  passing  through  a  coal- 
lield;  provided  the  strata  are  not  much  disturbed.  They 
know  that  the  heat  of  a  trap  dyke,  at  the  time  of  its  injection^ 
cannot  alter  or  change  the  coal  extensively.  They  look  more^ 
therefore,  to  the  changes  which  the  strata  have  undergone^- 
and  become  alarmed  only,  when  they  see  they  have  passed 
from  a  continuous  plane  into  interrupted  ones,  in  consequence 
of  faults.  It  is  doubtful  whether  dykes  have  much  effect  in 
deranging  the  condition  of  rocks.  It  is  to  be  attributed  rather 
to  a  force  which  acted  in  a  stage  prior  to  the  one  by  which 
the  dyke  fissure  is  filled.  But  this  view  does  not  affect  the 
reasoning  of  the  miner.  With  him  it  is  a  question  how  much 
the  strata  are  disturbed,  without  reference  to  the  agent,  act^ 
or  time. 


CHAPTER  XXXY. 

The  Dan  River  Coalfield — Dwision  of  the  Beds  Composing 
It. — Conglomerates  and  Breccias. — Lower  Sandstones. — 
Coal  Shales. —  Upper  Sandstones. —  Conglomerates  —  and 
Brecciated  Conglomerates. 

§  240.  The  counties  of  Rockingham  and  Stokes  contain 
within  their  respective  areas  a  series  of  deposits,  which  do 
not  differ  materially  from  those  of  Deep  river.  Tliey  contain 
coal,  but  the  seams  are  less  known ;  and,  judging  from  the 
depths  of  the  works  which  have  exposed  them,  they  seem  to 
be  less  promising  than  those  of  Deep  river.  While  all  the 
beds  which  are  connected  in  this  formation,  or  which  stand 
together,  are  much  the  same  as  those  of  Chatham  and  Moore, 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  255 

the  coal  seam  is  mostly  semi-bituminous,  or  similar  to  the 
George  Wilcox  seam  which  has  been  described. 

There  are  certain  peculiarities,  however,  worthy  of  notice, 
which  do  not  exist  in  the  Deep  river  formation.  Those  pe- 
culiarities will  be  recognised  in  the  following  division  of  the 
Dan  river  series : 

1.  And  at  the  bottom,  conglomerates  and  breccias. 

2.  Lower  sandstones,  including  the  soft  and  hard. 

3.  Gray  sandstones,  with  bituminous  shales,  fire-clays,  &C' 

4.  Upper  sandstones  and  marls. 

5.  Brecciated  conglomerates. 

These  parts  are  all  distinct  and  separate  at  Leaksville,  where 
the  system  is  probably  more  perfect  than  elsewhere.  They 
lie  in  a  trough  in  the  primary  series,  or  in  the  laminated  py- 
rocrystalline  rocks,  whose  direction  is  about  north-east  and 
south-west.  The  axis  of  the  trough  runs  parallel  with  a  line 
which  connects  Leaksville  with  Germanton.  The  system  dips 
to  the  north-west ;  the  angle  of  dip  is  variable,  and  ranges 
between  15°  and  40°,  it  is  usually  greater  than  20°. 

The  whole  extent  or  range  of  the  Dan  river  series  is  about 
forty  miles,  thirty  of  which  is  comprised  within  the  bounds  of 
Korth- Carolina.  The  north-east  extremity  extends  into  Yir- 
ginia,  about  ten  miles.  The  breadth  of  the  series  is  not  less 
than  four,  and  not  greater  than  seven  miles. 

It  has  no  connection  with  the  Richmond  coalfield,  though 
it  is  prolonged  in  that  direction ;  neither  is  it  connected  or 
(continuous  with  another  small  coalfield  in  Halifax  county  in 
Yirginia.  These  several  troughs  are,  all  of  them,  isolated  de- 
pressions in  the  primary  series.  Those  geologists  who  are  fa- 
miliar with  the  northern  parts  of  our  country,  may  infer  that 
these  troughs  were  once  connected,  and  that  diluvial  action 
lias  removed  intermediate  parts  of  the  series.  This  view 
does  not,  however,  seem  to  be  sustained.  There  is  no  evi- 
dence of  diluvial  action  at  all;  there  is  no  drift  proper  in 
North-Carolina.  But  all  of  these  isolated  troughs  were  con- 
nected at  a  comparative  recent  period  with  the  ocean.  We 
are  notified  of  an  approach  to  these  troughs  by  the  pebbly 


356  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

beds  which  border  them,  whicli  overlie  the  series,  and  which 
appear  to  bound  them.  These  beds  of  pebbles,  while  they 
surround  the  coal  series,  are  still  distributed  along  the  line  of 
drainage  towards  the  ocean. 

If  a  correct  geological  map  of  the  United  States  is  consult- 
ed, and  the  positions  of  the  coal  iields  to  which  reference  has 
been  made  is  noted,  we  cannot  fail  to  notice  the  singular  fact 
that  there  are  four  small  troughs  formed  in  the  primary  rocks, 
or  slates,  all  of  which  lie  with  their  axes  directed  to  the  south- 
west and  north-east — a  direction  which,  in  this  region,  is 
nearly  parallel  with  the  present  coast  line.  These  troughs, 
as  I  have  already  said,  are  disconnected ;  and  an  examina- 
tion of  the  series,  their  outcrops,  &c.,  goes  to  show  that  each 
was  formed  in  a  trough  by  itself,  and  entirely  separate  and 
independent ;  each  series  of  sediments  was  deposited  in  its 
own  deep  sea,  or  arm  of  the  sea :  and  furthermore,  consider- 
ing the  limited  area  of  each,  the  depth  of  these  seas  or  estu- 
aries was  very  great.  These  areas  have  been  only  slightly 
disturbed,  though  they  are  traversed  by  many  dykes.  The 
Richmond  trough  has  been  disturbed  the  most,  the  inclina- 
tion or  dip  of  the  beds  often  exceeding  forty  degrees. 

The  lowest  mass  of  the  Dan  river  series  is  conglomerate ; 
but  it  is  badly  developed.  It  is  not  exposed  at  Leaksville, 
the  north-east  extremity  ;  but  at  Germanton  these  beds  con- 
sist of  angular  fragments  of  granite  and  gneiss,  intermixed 
with  a  few  imperfectly  formed  pebbles.  This  mass  might  be 
mistaken  for  granite,  were  it  not  that  it  contains  here  and 
there  the  pebbles  referred  to ;  or  it  may  be  fragments  of  sili- 
cihed  wood.  In  this  mass  I  have  also  found  the  roots  of  the 
silicified  trunks  penetrating  and  branching  into  it,  showing 
that  the  trees  grew  upon  the  spot  where  they  are  now  found. 
Above  the  conglomerate,  or  brecciated  conglomerate,  the 
silicified  trunks  of  coniferous  trees  are  sufficiently  numerous 
to  be  regarded  as  an  ancient  forest.  The  roots  are  sometimes 
changed  into  lignite.  What  appears  to  be  trunks  are  always 
silicified.  These,  sometimes,  exceed  two  feet  in  diameter ; 
segments  of  which  stand  out  from  the  sandstones  at  an  angle 
of  45° ;  but  they  are  usually  prostrate.     It  is  remarkable, 


NOETH-CAUOLIN-A   GEOLOGICAL,    SUKVEY.  257 

that  at  this  locality,  the  trunks  and  roots  only  remain.  All 
the  tender  and  leafy  parts  are  destroyed.  The  beds  contain- 
ing the  silicified  trunks  extend  half  a  mile.  In  immediate 
connexion  with  the  soft  sandstones  which  contain  the  vegeta- 
ble products  already  referred  to,  I  found  a  concretionary  clay. 
Large  concentric  circles  mark  the  boundaries  of  the  concre- 
tions, some  of  which  are  four  feet  in  diameter.  Above  the 
argillaceous  concretionary  mass,  we  find  the  regular  bedded 
red  sandstones,  consisting  of  variegated  strata  in  part — but 
mostly  red  sandstones,  of  various  degrees  of  coarseness. 
These  terminate  in  the  black  and  green  shales  and  slates, 
which  contain  the  seams  of  coal. 

At  Leaksville,  where  the  series  is  the  best  exposed,  they 
consist  of  the  following  strata  : 

1.  Shale  or  black  bituminous  slate  below  the  coal ;  thickness  undetermined. 

2.  Slaty  micaceous  sandstones  two  feet. 

3.  Shaly  coal  at  the  outcrop  eighteen  inches. 

4.  Micaceous  shale  two  feet.  / 

5.  Semi-bituminous  coal  from  two  to  three  feet  at  the  outcrop. 

6.  Shale  one  hundred  feet. 

7.  Strata  of  a  semi-concretionary  limestone  more  or  less  silicious,  from  four  to 
six  feet.    This  is  probably  an  equivalent  of  the  argillaceous  iron  ore. 

8.  Soft  green,  blueish  and  black  shales  with  posidonias,  sixty  feet. 

The  shales,  however,  still  continue ;  but  being  covered  with 
soil,  their  thickness  remains  to  be  determined.  The  calcare- 
ous strata  are  above  the  coal  seams ;  as  no  others  are  known, 
and  as  they  extend  through  the  coalfield,  they  become  way 
boards  for  the  discovery  of  the  seams  of  coal  beneath  them. 
These  layers  are  well  preserved  at  Madison,  and  contain  sep- 
taria. 

The  dip  of  the  slates  at  Leaksville  is  N.  35°  W.;  angle  of 
dip  25°. 

A  section  of  rocks  between  Eagle  bridge  and  Gov.  More- 
head's  factory,  consists  of  the  following  strata : 

1.  Sandstones  and  conglomerate,  mostly  concealed,  at  the  bridge. 

2.  Flinty  black  slates,  two  hundred  feet  thick. 

3.  Coal  slates,  consisting  of  green  and  black  slates,  with  posidonia  and  cypris  in 
great  abundance. 

4.  Red  and  gray  sandstones. 

17 


258         NORTH- CAUOLETA  GEOLOGICAL  SUEVET. 

5.  Conglomerates. 

3.  Shaly  aud  green  variegated  sandstones. 
,  7.  Conglomerarates  and  brecciated  conglomerates  at  least  three  hundred  feet 
thick. 

They  contain  many  angular  fragments,  some  of  whicli  are 
very  large. 

The  upper  part,  which  may  be  observed  at  Morehead's  fac- 
tory, presents  the  following  strata,  which  I  state  more  in  de- 
tail, and  in  the  ascending  order  : 

1.  Greenish  brecciated  trappean  mass.  • 

2.  Coarse,  brecciated  mass,  intermixed  with  pebbles  only  partially  rounded,  eigh- 
ty to  one  hundred  feet  thick. 

3.  Greenish  slate  and  shale. 

4.  Greenish  slaty  sandstone. 

5.  Coarse  decomposing  sandstone,  one  hundred  feet  thick. 

The  first,  or  Ko.  1.  of  this  upper  part  of  the  series  is  made 
up  of  various  rocks,  as  talcose  slates,  granite,  and  masses  of 
feldspar  and  trap.  The  size  of  these  angular  fragments  is 
from  seven  to  eight  inches  long,  and  four  to  five  thick.  It  is 
a  decomposing  mass. 

The  coarse  brecciated  mass  immediately  above  this,  is  a 
tough,  durable,  building  stone,  of  a  gray  color,  and  looks  like 
granite  at  a  distance.  It  contains  a  large  amount  of  quartz, 
and  the  ground  or  paste  in  which  it  is  imbedded,  is  less  dis- 
posed to  disintegrate.     Tlie  dip  of  this  series  is  IN".  30°  W. 

The  upper  part  of  the  Dan  river  sandstone  is  unlike  that  of 
Deep  river,  unless  it  is  parallel  with  the  rocks  at  Jones'  Falls, 
which  I  am  disposed  to  regard  as  probable,  and  as  the  inferior 
beds  of  the  New  Ked  sandstone.  There  is  evidently  a  change 
in  the  deposits  indicative  of  a  more  important  one,  connected 
with  a  change  of  the  organic  remains.  This  remains  to  be 
determined. 

The  series  of  sandstones  again,  which  are  exposed  on  Fac- 
tory creek,  four  miles  from  Madison,  on  the  road  to  Martin's 
lime-kilns,  are  interesting,  as  they  are  exposed  by  the  denu- 
dation of  the  stream.  They  are  enumerated  in  the  ascending 
order,  and  probably  begin  near  the  coal  shales : 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  259 

1.  Soft  greenish  slates. 

2.  Coarse  sandstone,  with  pebbles.  .^    ^  . 
S.  Red  and  brown  sandstones. 

4.  Porous  red  sandstones,  or  sandstone  with  angular  cavities,  similar  to  those  of 
Deep  river,  which  may  have  contained  a  soluble  salt. 

5.  Green  and  gray  hard  sandstones. 

6.  Coarse  sandstones,  with  pebbles. 

7.  Conglomerates  resembling  those  at  Morehead's  factory. 

S.  Marls,  reddish  and  mottled,  beneath  which  are  the  primary  slates  in  an  uncon- 
formable position. 

The  dip  in  this  series  is  very  regular ;  the  angle  of  dip  is 
twenty  degrees,  and  the  distance  across  them  is  about  half  a 
'mile,  and  every  stratum  being  exposed,  there  is  no  danger  of 
committing  an  error  in  the  succession,  or  being  misled  by 
repetitions.  This  series  is  probably  equivalent  to  that  which 
begins  at  Jones'  Falls,  upon  Deep  river ;  or,  in  other  words,  is 
the  upper  part  of  the  Triassic  system.  At  the  time  the  ex- 
amination was  made,  I  noted  the  succession  only,  omitting 
even  the  approximate  thickness  of  the  strata  composing  the 
series.     Obscure  fucoids  were  observed,  but  not  obtained. 

The  Thecodont  saurian  remains  were  obtained  far  below  this 
series ;  and  hence,  though  we  iind  apparent  differences  in  the 
groups,  we  may  be  confident,  I  think,  that  the  upper  and 
lower  parts  of  the  formations  upon  Deep  and  Dan  rivers,  are 
the  equivalents  of  each  other. 

At  Madison,  the  series  below  the  coal  slates,  as  exposed  on 
the  east  side  of  Dan  river,  is  made  up  of  the  following  strata. 
They  rest  upon  gneiss : 

1.  Soft  variegated  micaceous  sandstones,  two  hundred  feet  thick. 

2.  Green,  shaly  and  drab  colored  sandstones,  about  five  hundred  feet  thick. 

3.  Red  sandstones,  with  small  angular  cavities. 

4.  Green  and  dark  colored  coal  shales,  the  latter  bituminous. 

At  Madison,  the  fossils  of  the  slate  are  the  same  as  those  at 
Evans'  Mills,  on  Deep  river.  The  conglomerate,  which  is  sg 
conspicuous  a  member  of  this  formation  on  Deep  river,  is 
very  imperfectly  developed  upon  the  Dan. 

At  Germanton,  at  the  extreme  south-western  extremity  of 
the  formation,  coal  has  been  obtained.  The  series  is  not  well 
exposed,  but  the  relations  of  the  beds  are  as  follows : 


260  SrOETH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    8UEVEY. 

1.  Slate  below. 

a.  Fire-clay.  .  #    4^ 

.".  Coal  eighteen  inches. 

4.  Slate,  one  foot. 

5.  Coal,  eighteen  inches. 

%.  Black  bituminous  slate,  five  feet. 
7.  Sandstone  and  slate. 

Semi-bituminous  coal  was  first  obtained  about  four  mile^ 
from  Germanton.  Subsequently,  only  two  miles.  This  coal 
is  not  pure  at  the  outcrop.  Coal  is  known  at  several  places 
between  Leaksville  and  Germanton ;  but  no  new  discoveries 
have  been  made  since  my  report  was  published.  The  Leaks-^. 
ville  seam  has  been  explored  deeper;  the  slope  has  been 
sunk  about  one  hundred  feet.  The  seam  had  increased ;  the 
thickness  now  being  from  three-and-a-half  to  four  feet.  But, 
as  yet,  the  investigations  of  these  coal  seams  have  not  been 
sufficiently  extended  to  allow  us  to  express  a  positive  opinion 
of  their  value.  The  coal  itself  is  less  valuable  than  upon  the 
Deep  river,  inasmuch  as  it  ranks  only  with  the  anthracite 
coals.  But  the  exploration  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Wade, 
at  or  near  Leaksville,  becomes  more  favorable ;  the  coal  seam 
having  increased  in  thickness  and  improved  in  quality.  But 
as  the  means  for  transporting  the  article  to  market  were  in- 
sufficient and  defective,  no  decidedly  favorable  results  could 
have  been  anticipated. 

§  241.  When  the  lower  sandstones  and  conglomerates  of 
the  two  rivers  are  compared,  it  is  evident  that  the  beds  below 
the  coal  series  are  less  important  upon  Dan  than  upon  Deep 
river.  In  the  latter,  the  lower  sandstones,  with  their  con- 
glomerates, are  remarkably  thick ;  and  we  have  seen  that  the 
conglomerate  is  very  feebly  developed  upon  the  Dan  at  Ger- 
manton, and  wanting  at  Madison ;  and  it  appears  that  in  Vir- 
ginia, the  lower  sandstones,  with  their  conglomerates,  are  en- 
tirely wanting. 

The  slates  of  the  coal  measures  of  the  two  districts  are 
probably  equal  in  thickness ;  but  it  appears  from  facts  thus 
far  developed,  that  the  coal,  and  the  argillaceous  iron  ores, 
are  less  in  quantity  in  the  Dan  river  district. 

The  series  above  the  coal  slates,  however,  are  either  better 


NORTH-CAUOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  261 

exposed,  or  else  are  actually  thicker.  There  is  no  locality 
where  the  upper  rocks  are  so  well  exposed  as  upon  Factory 
creek.  Of  the  identity  of  the  two  series  there  can  be  no 
doubt.  The  fossils  of  the  Dan,  differ  in  no  respect  from  those 
of  Deep  river.  I  have  obtained  a  much  larger  number  from 
the  latter  than  the  formei'.  I  found  it  necessary  to  confine 
my  explorations  for  the  time  being  to  Deep  river.  It  must 
be  understood,  that  while  explorations  are  in  progress,  is  the 
best  time  to  obtain  the  evidence  of  the  age  and  epoch  of  the 
formation.  It  has  happened  that  this  evidence  was  frequent- 
ly lost  to  myself,  in  consequence  of  the  decomposition  of  the 
materials  which  were  taken  out  of  the  shafts  which  were  be- 
ing sunk,  as  well  as  dispersed  by  the  hands  of  visitors,  who 
were  frequently  present.  Hence,  it  has  required  much  time 
to  obtain  a  class  of  facts  essential  and  necessary  to  decide 
certain  geological  questions  of  real  importance. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

Economical  Products  of  the  Coal  Fields^  and  of  the  Red 
Sam^dstones. 

§  242,  Industry  never  lacks  materials  upon  which  to  ex- 
pend its  exergy.  It  is  not  cupidity  which  always  seeks  the 
useful,  in  the  rough  quarries  of  nature.  The  occurrence  of 
one  valuable  product  is  but  a  step  towards  the  discovery  of 
another ;  and  we  are  frequently  surprised  at  the  numerous 
wants  which  are  supplied  in  a  single  series  of  sediments.  In 
addition  to  the  coal,  which  is  the  first  object  of  pursuit,  and 
the  discovery  of  which  has  opened  the  way  for  others,  and 
which  probably  would  be  useless,  were  there  no  coal,  iron 
ore,  free  stones,  grindstone  grits,  and  fire-clays,  may  be  enu- 
merated. 


262  NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

The  iron  ores  belong  to  two  or  three  distinct  kinds : 

1.  The  ordinary  hjdrons  peroxides,  with  arggillaceous  mat- 
ter, which  are  undoubtedly  the  altered  products  derived  from 
the  argillaceous  carbonate, 

2.  The  same  kind  in  appearance,  but  which  is  magnetic. 

3.  The  black  band  of  the  Scotch  miners,  and  which  is  re- 
garded by  a  gentleman  well  acquainted  with  this  ore,  as  the 
BldcTcbest  of  the  Scottish  miners. 

All  these  kinds  appear  to  be  abundant,  or  to  be  coexten- 
si^^e  with  the  coal  slates.  I  am  not  able  to  speak  of  the  ex- 
tent of  the  brown  magnetic  ore  which  occurs  upon  the  plan- 
tation of  Mr.  Tyson.  It  is  an  interesting  anomaly  in  the  way  of 
iron  ores,  to  find  the  brown  ores,  with  their  ordinary  aspect, 
strongly  magnetic.  I  suspect  this  kind  may  be  confined  to 
the  surface,  inasmuch,  as  under  the  action  of  light,  and  per- 
haps certain  atmospheric  influences,  the  black  ores  of  the  older 
rocks  become  very  strong  magnets. 

The  argillaceous  carbonate,  when  exposed  to  meteoroic  in- 
fluence, the  hydrous  peroxide,  with  argillaceous  matter,  oc- 
curs at  the  depth  of  about  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  in  the 
shaft  at  Egyi^t.  It  is  frequently  found  outcropping  above  the 
coal  seams,  in  nodular  masses  of  difi'erent  forms  and  sizes, 
and  may  be  employed  as  a  clue  to  the  position  of  the  coal 
seams ;  inasmuch,  as  there  are  no  known  bituminous  seams 
above  the  iron  ore  beds.  The  principal  seams  are  below ; 
bjLit  inasmuch  as  there  is  another  outcropping  of  iron  below 
the  seams,  about  thirty-four  yards  distant,  it  is  necessary  to 
be  on  guard,  so  as  not  to  be  led  astray  by  the  inferior  beds  of 
iron.  These  outcropping  beds  of  iron  ore  at  the  Gulf,  are  un- 
doubtedly the  seams  of  black  band,  belonging  to  the  next 
seam  of  coal  below  the  main  seam,  which  at  Egypt  is  thirty 
feet  below  in  the  shaft.  But  this  ore,  though  traces  of  its 
outcropping  may  be  seen  at  several  places,  is  not  always  to 
l)e  found  upon  the  surface.  It  is  rarely  as  strong  at  any  place, 
•  as  at  the  Gulf. 

The  argillaceous  carbonate  occurs  in  balls,  and  in  continu- 
ous beds.  Tliey  are  adjacent  to  each  other.  The  color  of  the 
ore  is  gray  or  drab ;  it  eftervesces  with  acids,  and  is  some- 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOaiCAL   SURVEY.  26S 

what  silicious ;  and  certain  parts  of  tlie  seams  of  ore  are 
tough.  It  differs  in  no  respect  from  the  argillaceous  carbo- 
nate of  the  carboniferous  series.  It  contains  about  thirty- 
three  per  cent,  of  metallic  iron.  The  surface  ores  being  al- 
tered, the  carbonates  contain  fifty  per  cent,  of  metallic  iron. 
This  is  not  too  large  a  per  ce^ntage  to  be  estimated  for  the 
magnetic  ores  of  the  Tyson  plantation.  Of  the  quantity  of 
these  carbonates  there  can  be  no  doubt ;  since  they  occur 
along  the  entire  outcrop  of  the  slates  of  the  coal  series.  A 
very  beautiful  and  rich  kind  is  found  at  Benjamin  Wicker's, 
beyond  the  known  limits  of  the  coal  seam ;  so,  at  the  other 
extreme,  at  Murchison's,  it  is  still  in  place,  and  holding  the 
same  relations  as  at  the  Gulf,  at  Egypt,  or  Mclver's. 

I  am  unable  to  distinguish  the  black  band  from  the  argilla- 
ceous carbonate,  where  it  has  been  subjected  to  meteoric  in- 
fluences. I  have,  heretofore,  maintained  and  expressed  the 
opinion,  that  there  were  two  bands  of  the  ore  under  consid- 
eration ;  one  above,  and  the  other  below,  the  main  coal  seam  ; 
but  the  shaft  at  Egypt  proves  the  existence  of  the  black  band 
accompanying  the  little  coal  seam ;  and  hence,  it  is  probable 
that  what  appears  to  be  argillaceous  carbonate,  is  the  black 
band,  changed  by  exposure  to  the  air.  There  is,  probably, 
only  two  bands  of  the  argillaceous  carbonate — the  continuous 
band  or  seam,  and  the  band  of  iron  balls  in  proximity  with 
each  other. 

This  is  mined  with  great  ease  and  facility.  Although  hard 
and  difiicult  to  penetrate  with  the  augur,  yet,  when  the  slate 
beneath  the  band  is  taken  out,  tons  of  it  fall  into  the  pit  at 
once.  The  expense  therefore  of  mining,  is  trifling  under  the 
circumstances ;  and  hence,  there  is  no  reason  for  doubting 
the  feasibility  of  making  iron  from  it  at  a  profit. 

The  black  band  invariably  accompanies  the  coal  seams. 
There  are  now  known  three  seams  of  it ;  one  between  the 
main  coal  seams,  another  immediately  below,  and  a  third, 
equally  important,  accompanying  the  little  coal  seam  thirty 
feet  below  the  former,  and  from  which  it  is  separated  by 
slates  and  gritty  fire-clay,  fifteen  feet  thick. 

The  black  band  owes  its  high  value  as  an  ore,  to  the  facili- 


264  NOKTH-OAKOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   STTKVEY. 

ty  with  which  it  is  converted  into  pig,  and  the  quality  of  the 
pig  produced  from  it.  The  ore  itself  is  black  and  somewhat 
massire,  as  a  slate ;  fracture  compact  and  even,  or  only 
slightly  conchoidal.  It  would  be  mistaken  for  a  heavy  mas- 
sive slate. 

This  ore  was  first  discovered  at  Farmersville ;  but  it  was 
not  suspected  to  be  the  Scotch  hlack  hand ;  but  that  it  would 
prove  available  ore  there  could  be  no  doubt.  Mr.  Paton,  a 
gentleman  of  great  experience  in  iron  making,  first  suggest- 
ed to  Mr.  McLane  the  character  of  the  ore.  Examination 
proved  the  correctness  of  the  gentleman's  opinion  already 
referred  to.  When  roasted  it  is  strongly  magnetic,  and  prob- 
ably the  brown  magnetic  ore  of  Tyson's,  is  only  an  altered 
black  band,  as  it  occurs  also  in  layers,  or  in  the  form  of  a  fis- 
sile ferruginous  slate. 

The  composition  of  the  black  band  was  determined  for  me 
by  my  friend  Dr.  Jackson.     It  is  composed  of, 

Carbon, 31.30 

Peroxide  of  iron, 47.50 

Silex,    9.00 

Bitumen  and  water, 8.81 

Sulphur, 3.39 

100.00 

The  roasted  ore  yields  only  0.89  per  cent,  of  sulphur.  Sul- 
phur, as  in  the  case  of  the  slate,  seems  to  attach  itself  to  the  slaty 
parts  of  the  mass ;  but  I  should  have  expected  also  a  small  per 
centage  of  phosphoric  acid,  seeing  that  coprolites  are  very 
common  in  the  black  band.  The  fossils  of  the  black  band 
too,  are,  more  abundant  than  in  the  slate ;  it  is  at  the  junction 
of  this  ore  with  the  coal,  that  the  saurian  teeth  occur  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  especially  in  that  stratum  which  inter- 
venes between  the  coal  seams. 

This  ore  becomes  important,  in  consequence  of  the  facility 
of  its  conversion  into  pig.  I  am  not  able  to  say  whether  the 
89  hundredths  per  cent,  of  sulphur  in  the  roasted  ore  is  suffi- 
cient to  exert  much  influence  in  the  furnace  product  j  proba- 
bly not.     In  the  progress  of  mining,  the  black  band  is  so 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOaiCAL    SURVEY.  265 

closely  connected  with  tlie  coal,  that  it  will  necessarily  be 
raised ;  and  hence,  a  valuable  ore  will  be  obtained  at  the 
surface,  with  only  a  trifling  additional  cost,  over  that  which 
attends  the  mining  and  raising  of  the  coal  only. 

From  the  occurrence  of  this  ore,  the  mineral  resources  or 
the  wealth  of  the  coalfield  is  very  much  increased.  We  may, 
therefore,  congratulate  the  friends  of  the  Deep  river  improve- 
ment, and  those  of  the  mining  interest  of  the  country,  of  this 
accession  of  valuable  products ;  which  must  secure  for  this 
region  important  establishments  for  the  manufacture  of  iron. 

§  243.  In  connexion  with  the  subject  of  iron  ores,  I  may 
very  properly  introduce  those  which  are  denominated  mate- 
rials for  construction,  such  as  free  stones  and  fire-clays.  The 
red  and  purple  sandstones  abound,  in  the  lower  red  sand- 
stone, with  beds  suitable  for  building  stone.  The  color  of 
these  beds,  whatever  it  may  be,  is  lively  and  inviting.  In- 
deed, no  difiference  can  be  discovered  between  those  of  Deep 
river  and  those  of  the  Hudson  river,  or  the  Connecticut  river 
sandstone.  As  these  beds  are  extensive,  they  furnish,  at  ma- 
ny points,  stone  of  a  suitable  quality  for  any  purpose  which 
may  be  required.  jSTo  quarry  has  been,  as  yet,  opened  ex- 
tensively enough  to  prove  the  value  of  the  material.  These 
remarks  are  made  without  reference  to  the  state  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  their  present  wants  or  means  to  get  the  material  to 
market.  In  the  event  that  the  improvements  upon  Deep 
river  turn  out  as  the  friends  of  improvement  expect  and  hope, 
the  free  stone  will  be  in  demand.  It  should  have  its  value  as 
in  other  parts  of  our  country  where  means  of  intercommuni- 
cation are  provided,  which  lead  to  the  cultivation  of  a  good 
taste  in  building,  and  hold  out  inducements  to  construct  dura- 
ble structures.  Where,  on  the  contrary,  the  temptations  to 
change  place  and  emigrate  for  bettering  their  condition,  no 
unprovements  in  construction  are  made.  But  the  opening  of 
the  navigation  of  Deep  river,  the  commencement  of  manu- 
factures, etc.,  will  put  a  new  phase  on  society,  and  lead  ulti- 
mately to  the  construction  of  durable  residences. 

§  244.  The  Jire-days,  though,  they  are  not  found  beneath 
every  coal  seam,  still  are   common  in  connexion  with  the 


'^6Q  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

coal,  and  between  the  main  and  little  seams.  It  is  well 
known  that  they  are  important  for  fire-brick  and  other  kin- 
dred purposes,  where  a  refractory  article  is  reqiiired.  When 
exposed  to  atmospheric  influence  at  the  outcrop,  they  have 
all  the  characters  of  an  argillaceous  stratum.  When  deep  in 
the  interior,  and  removed  from  atmospheric  influence,  they 
appear  like  a  fragile  sandstone.  When  taken  up  with  other 
materials  and  exposed,  they  soon  disintegrate,  become  soft, 
and  pass  into  another  form.  Vegetable  fibre  penetrates  the 
mass,  vertically  as  well  as  horizontally.  These  singular  beds 
are  regarded  as  the  soil  upon  which  the  coal-producing  plants 
grew.  Whether  this  view  be  true  or  not,  the  fact  is  well  ac- 
counted for  by  this  theory.  The  vegetable  matter,  however, 
of  these  beds,  is  not  all  of  it  the  remains  of  roots.  Prostrate 
stems  of  calamites,  and  the  foliage  of  vegetables  are  easily' 
detected  in  the  network,  or  mesh  of  roots.  There  are  no 
stems  of  sigilloaria  or  stigmaria  in  these  fire-clays,  as  in  all 
the  beds  which  belong  to  the  carboniferous  system,  Tlieir 
absence  proves  the  epoch  of  the  series  not  to  belong  to  that 
refei-red  to.  It  proves,  however,  that  coal  can  be,  and  is  pro- 
duced from  a  vegetation  quite  different  from  that  which  pre- 
vailed in  the  epoch  of  the  true  coal.  It  proves  too,  that  ge- 
ologists have  been  too  hasty  in  claiming  from  the  so  named 
coal  period,  the  only  one  which  has  produced  coal  in  suflS.- 
cient  quantity  to  make  its  exploration  for  a  distant  market  a 
business  from  which  profits,  and  even  wealth,  are  likely  to 
flow.  We  find  not  only  coal,  but  also  fire-clay,  bands  of  iron 
both  nodular  and  in  continuous  beds,  but  even  the  rarer  ore, 
the  hIacJu  hand^  which  is  found  only  in  the  coal  measures  of 
Europe, 

§  215,  Millstones. — Beneath  the  red  sandstone,  the  con- 
glomerate is  so  ]]^erfectly  consolidated  that  it  forms  a  valua- 
ble millstone.  This  is  made  up  almost  entirely  of  compacted 
quartz  pebbles,  which  are  so  firmly  imbedded  that  their  frac- 
ture is  often  directly  across  the  axis  of  the  pebble,  where  it 
would  be  expected  to  break  out.  These  pebbles  are  derived 
from  the  quartz  veins  of  the  Taconic  system,  and  hence,  con- 
sist of  milky  quartz. 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  267 

The  beds  vary  in  thickness  from  six  inches  to  eighteen,  or 
even  two  feet. 

The  stone  is  adapted  to  the  grinding  of  indian  corn.  They 
are  said  to  be  better  cornstones  than  the  French  Bui-rhstone  ; 
for  grinding  wheat,  the  latter  have  been  always  preferred,  as 
they  are  far  less  liable  to  heat  the  flour.  Several  quarries 
are  opened  in  Moore  county,  and  from  them  the  country  is 
principally  supplied.  The  conglomerate  at  or  near  the  base 
of  the  upper  sandstone  is  less  consolidated,  and  is  not  so  well 
adapted  to  the  formation  of  millstones.  The  thickness  of  the 
beds  is  from  forty  to  sixty  feet ;  but  it  is  a  mass  which  thins 
out,  and  hence  its  thickness  at  several  points  is  extremely  va- 
riable. The  lower  sandstone,  with  its  conglomerates,  is  bet- 
ter developed  in  the  south-west  part  of  Moore  county  than 
elsewhere.  We  find,  even  at  the  Gulf,  the  conglomerate 
ceases  to  be  an  important  stratum. 

As  a  whole,  the  mass  is  made  up  of  rounded  pebbles  in 
beds  of  variable  thickness,  which  are  separated  from  each 
other  by  finer  and  softer  varieties.  The  conglomerates  rest 
almost  immediately  and  unconformably  upon  the  slates  of  the 
Taconic  system.  A  circumstance  worthy  of  note,  is  the  fact 
that  the  pebbles  are  auriferous ;  hence,  the  opinion  expressed 
by  distinguished  geologists,  that  gold  is  a  recent  product, 
probably  of  the  Tertiary  period,  is  erroneous.  It  must  have 
existed  at  the  time  of  the  laying  down  of  the  bottom  rocks  of 
this  coalfield ;  indeed,  long  before.  So  that  instead  of  its 
being  a  recent  metal,  it  is  one  of  the  oldest,  being  certainly 
coeval  with  copper  and  iron  pyrites. 

§  246.  Orindstone  Grits. — In  the  midst  of  the  gray  stone 
beds,  more  particularly  those  which  occupy  a  place  between 
the  two  red  sandstones,  I  have  frequently  observed  valuable 
grits,  which  are  suitable  both  for  coarse  and  fine  grindstones. 
Grindstones  have,  however,  been  frequently  made  from  the 
reddish  bed  as  well  as  the  drab  and  gray  grits.  These  stones 
have  been  made  to  supply  the  wants  of  the  citizens  in  a 
neighborhood  far  removed  from  the  means  of  transporting 
heavy  materials.  No  systematic  efforts  have  been  directed 
steadily  towards  the  business  of  preparing  these  stones  for 


268  NORTH-CAHOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 

market.  It  is  only  when  manufactures  are  established,  that  a 
demand  will  arise  out  of  the  interests  and  wants  of  the  com- 
munity, that  these  lesser  products  of  industry  will  take  their 
place  in  the  regular  trade  of  the  country. 

§  247.  Bituminous  Slate. — 'The  slates  of  the  coal  series,  es- 
pecially where  they  are  very  near  the  coal  seams,  are  highly 
bituminous.  They  are  known  to  contain  28.6  per  cent,  of 
volatile  matter,  and  19.55  per  cent,  of  fixed  carbon.  Slates 
are  employed  for  illumination  in  Europe,  when  they  are  near 
a  large  population.  It  would  seem,  therefore,  that  the  slates 
of  Deep  river  may,  under  favorable  circumstances,  be  em- 
ployed for  this  purpose.  It  is  evident  that  they  cannot  be 
transported  far  for  any  purpose.  They  ignite  readily  in  the 
fire  and  in  a  candle,  blaze  and  burn  with  a  good  flame,  emit- 
ting a  white  light.  The  question  may  be  entertained,  wheth- 
er it  is  not  possible  to  obtain  the  bitumen  or  volatile  matter 
in  a  portable  slate.  The  importance  cf  light  and  fuel  certain- 
ly warrant  trials  for  this  purpose.  Even  the  slate  far  remov- 
ed from  the  coal  seams  is  combustible,  and  highly  so.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  such  a  mass  or  bituminous  slates  exists 
even  in  the  carboniferous  series.  It  is  impossible  to  esti- 
mate the  amount  of  combustible  matter  locked  up  in  them, 
and  which  it  is  possible  may  be  turned  to  some  account. 


CHAPTEK  XXXYII. 

The  Advantages  of   Dee])  River  for  the   Manufacture  of 
Iron,  etc. 

§  248.  It  is  the  centralization  of  materials  which  creates 
an  important  manufacturing  locality  when  combined  espe- 
cially with  a  power  to  move  machinery,  and  an  aggricultural 
capacity  to  sustain  a  large  population.     These  give  impor- 


NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOOICAL    SUEVEYs  269 

tance  to  any  location  for  establishing  a  manufacturing  inter- 
est upon  a  large  scale. 

Assuming  tne  doctrine  as  true,  we  may  proceed  to  ascer- 
tain whether  there  is  such  a  centralization  of  means  upon 
Deep  river,  sufficient  to  build  up  the  interests  alluded  to* 
First,  it  has  already  been  proved  that  the  products  of  the 
coalfield  make  good  the  assumption.  The  hydrous  peroxide 
of  iron,  the  black  band  and  coal,  need  not  be  spoken  of  again. 
The  fuel  and  the  material  productions  are  abundant  for  any 
projects  in  this  line  of  operations. 

But  the  additional  means  in  other  ores  in  striking  distance, 
add  to  and  greatly  increase  the  means  for  the  purposes  in 
view.  Thus,  the  inexhaustible  specular  ore,  four  miles  from 
the  Gulf,  the  magnetic  ore  a  few  miles  farther,  the  hematite 
of  ore  will  make  an  addition  of  three  kinds  of  ore  to  those 
already  known  in  so  much  abundance  in  the  coalfield.  There 
is,  then,  the  water  power,  if  it  is  wished  to  employ  it  for 
moving  machinery ;  or  what  is  better,  the  employment  of 
steam  may  be  substituted  for  it ;  and  still  this  power  should 
not  be  lost. 

The  next  important  material  is  timber.  The  timber  of 
Deep  river  and  vicinity  furnishes  a  variety  not  excelled  in 
the  State,  or  anv  State,  First  and  foremost  is  the  lone:  leaf 
pine,  of  which  forests  line  its  banks.  The  growth  is  large, 
the  wood  mature,  and  is  unimpaired  by  age  or  by  the  wood» 
man's  axe.  The  next  most  important  timbers  are  the  oaks 
and  hickories.  The  manufacturing  interests  have  been  scarce- 
ly encouraged  hitherto ;  all  the  materials  in  the  line  of  wood- 
work remain  as  in  a  new  country 

The  next  article  of  importance  is  stone  for  construction. 
These  have  been  spoken  of  already.  The  free  stone  is  not 
only  well  adapted  to  the  construction  of  durable  or  imperish- 
able buildings,  but  it  is  adapted  to  the  construction  of  elegant 
ones.  Whether  strength,  durability  or  beauty,  or  all  of  these 
characteristics  are  combined,  there  is  ample  room  for  obtain- 
ing all  that  can  be  wished. 

The  last  essential  qualification  for  manufactures,  is  an  agri- 
•ultural  country ;  one  whose  soil  is  adapted  to  the  production 


370  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAI.    SURVEY. 

of  the  cereals ;  for  if  these  can  be  grown,  every  other  neces- 
sary is  provided  for.  The  adaptation  of  Chatham  county  to 
the  growth  of  the  cereals  cannot  be  doubted ;  past  experi- 
ence may  be  cited  in  proof,  or  rather  the  testimony  of  the 
whole  community  confirms  the  position. 

But  climate  should  not  be  overlooked.  There  is  a  temper- 
ature suited  to  tlie  constitution,  which,  while  it  favors  lon- 
gevity, favors  also  the  sustenance  of  life  at  the  lowest  ex- 
pense ;  while  it  preserves  the  strength,  and  does  not  weaken 
the  body  by  a  high  summer  range.  Such,  I  believe,  is  the 
favorable  climate  of  North-Carolina.  The  moderate  range  of 
the  thermometer,  the  freedom  from  long  and  excessive  heats, 
or  long  continued  cold,  favors  the  cheap  sustenance  of  la- 
borers, both  as  to  food  and  clothing,  and  adds  several  num- 
bers to  the  per  centage  of  advantages  over  a  climate  which 
is  subjected  to  either  extreme  of  temperature.  But  an  ac- 
cessible market  is  indisj^ensable  to  prosperity.  We  do  not, 
and  cannot  rely  upon  what  has  hitherto  been  done ;  it  is  what 
may  be,  or  what  improvements  the  country  admits  of.  The 
outlet  for  trade  is  not  restricted  to  one  direction.  It  is  not 
Raleigh,  nor  ISTorfolk,  ¥ayetteville  or  Wilmington,  but  it  is 
in  all  these  directions  ;  and  so  also  a  route  may  be  opened  to 
Charleston  and  the  West.  The  position  of  Deep  river  is  cen- 
tral. If  the  manufacturing  interest  is  fostered,  intercommu- 
eation  with  distant  towns  follows  of  necessity.  A  town  will 
grow  up  with  greater  rapidity  on  Deep  river  than  at  Beau- 
fort. Here  are  the  elements  which  always  draw  together  an 
active  and  intelligent  community.  These  elements  have  ever 
created  wealthy  and  flourishing  towns.  If,  then,  we  require 
a  concentration  of  means  and  interests  to  build  up  large 
towns,  I  do  not  know  where  a  greater  number  of  the  requi- 
site elements  can  be  found  in  the  interior  of  any  State. 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 


2T1 


CHAPTER  XXXYIII. 

History  of  the  opinions  respecting  the  age  of  the  Deep 
and  Dan  River  Formations. — Division  of  the  Series  ivith 
remarTcs  sustaining  it. 

§  249.  I  have  spoken  of  the  formations  under  consideration 
in  general  terms.  It  is  now  necessary  to  place  before  the 
reader  those  details  in  which  I  find  those  facts  which  go  to 
establish  the  views  which  have  been  forced  upon  me  respect- 
ing the  age  of  the  Deep  river  coal  measures,  and  the  sand- 
stone upon  which  they  repose.  I  shall,  however,  give,  in  the 
first  place,  a  brief  statement  of  the  opinions  which  have  been 
expressed  by  several  eminent  and  distinguished  geologists, 
who  have  investigated  the  question  at  issue. 

Maclure,  in  his  geology  of  the  United  States,  referred  this 
series  to  the  old  red  sandstone ;  being  misled  by  the  close  re- 
semblance of  the  two  formations  in  their  lithological  aspects. 

Regarding  the  sandstones  of  the  Connecticut  valley  as 
equivalents  in  part  of  the  JN^orth-Carolina  series,  Prof.  Hith- 
cock,  in  his  earlier  reports,  adopted  the  opinion  of  Maclure. 
Leaving  out  of  view,  however,  these  distant  equivalents,  I 
shall  limit  my  statements  to  those  formations  which  belong  to 
ISTorth-Carolina  and  Yirginia.  Of  the  latter,  those  which  are 
known  as  red  and  gray  sandstones  of  the  Atlantic  slope,  and 
particularly  those  which  belong  to  the  Richmond  coal  basin, 
the  late  Richard  C.  Taylor  expressed  the  opinion,  in  his  first 
examinations,  that  they  belonged  to  the  regular  coal  measures. 
This  opinion  was  founded  upon  an  error,  to  which  Mr.  Taylor 
was  not  a  party. 

Previously,  Mr.  Nuttall  had  discovered  Zamias,  or  Zami- 
tes,  which  have  since  been  regarded  as  evidence  that  the 
Richmond  series  were  cotemporaneous  with  the  Oolites  of 
Brora.  Mr.  ISTuttall,  however,  was  not  the  author  of  this  de- 
duction, he  was  the  first  to  discover  this  order  of  vegetables. 
This  deduction  was  not,  at  this  time,  thought  of;  but  it  was 


272  NOKTH-CAHOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   8UEVET. 

left  to  the  sagacity  of  Prof.  Wm.  B.  Rodgers,  who,  after  ob- 
taining additional  information,  communicated  a  memoir  to 
the  American  Association,  in  1843,  in  which  he  addressed  a 
body  of  evidence  bearing  upon,  and  sustaining  this  view, 
which  has  been  regarded  by  most  geologists  as  satisfactory  in 
its  evidence,  that  the  Richmond  series  was  cotemporary  with 
that  of  Brora  in  Scotland,  and  on  a  parallel  also  with  that  of 
Whitby  in  Yorkshire,  England.  This  opinion  was  ably  sus- 
tained by  its  author,  and  has  been  approved  by  some  of  the 
most  distinguished  men  of  this  country. 

But,  after  all,  it  does  not  appear  to  be  fully  established ; 
and  Prof.  Bunbury,  who  has  examined  critically  a  series  of 
fossils  from  this  formation,  leans  but  slightly  to  that  side  main- 
tained by  Prof.  Podgers ;  regarding  the  evidence  almost  as 
conclusive,  that  it  is  cotemporary  with  the  Trias,  as  with  the 
Oolite.  These  remarks  I  regard  as  appropriate  ;  inasmuch  as 
the  Richmond  basin,  that  especially  which  contains  the  coal 
seams,  is  supposed  to  be  cotemporaneous  with  that  of  Deep 
river.  It  is  this  bearing  of  the  question  which  makes  it  ne- 
cessary to  establish  the  age  of  the  Richmond  basin  first.  I 
have  maintained  this  position  myself,  ha-ving  seen,  as  I  sup- 
posed, sufficient  evidence  that  the  two  belonged  to  the  same 
epoch.  This  view  is  now  also  sustained  by  Prof.  Wm.  B. 
Rodgers.  But  in  the  course  of  my  later  examinations  of  the 
Deep  river  coal  series,  certain  facts  have  come  to  light  which 
diminish  my  confidence  in  my  former  opinion. 

Other  geologists  place  these  formations  at  the  base  of  the 
Liassic  series.  Prof.  Agassiz,  relying  on  the  testimony  of  the 
remains  of  fish,  supports  this  view.  In  this  conflict  of  opin- 
ion, it  is  plain  the  question  is  not  yet  at  rest ;  it  is  not  settled  ; 
the  evidence  which  bears  directly  upon  it  is  conflicting,  be- 
cause the  facts  themselves  are  too  few  and  too  meagre  to  sup- 
port an  opinion.  As  far  as  they  go,  they  may  be  indicative, 
but  other  facts  more  du-ect  may  set  them  aside. 

In  1853,  I  expressed  the  opinion  that  the  Deep  and  Dan 
river  series  were  cotemporaneous  with  the  Trias.  I  have, 
however,  often  spoken  of  the  Permian  rocks  of  North-Caro- 
lina, without  communicating  the  ground  upon  which  thb 


HOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  273 

opinion  rested,  or  the  facts  whicli  seemed  to  warrant  sucli  a 
deduction.  Having  stated  thus  mncli  respecting  the  views 
of  others  at  diifercnt  times,  as  well  as  my  own,  I  shall  pro- 
ceed to  state  the  divisions  which  I  now  propose,  and  which  are 
drawn  from  a  careful  examination  of  facts.  In  doing  this,  I 
shall  exhibit  a  concise  view  of  the  epoch  to  which  the  parts 
of  this  series  belong ;  and  in  thus  condensing  as  it  were  the 
whole  subject  with  their  subordinate  parts  in  the  simj^le  divi- 
sion I  propose,  certain  conflicting  facts  will  be  at  once  recon- 
ciled. It  will  be  perceived  why  and  how  certain  opinions 
have  been  derived,  which  have  caused  their  authors,  some  to 
lean  to  the  side  of  the  Lias  or  Oolite,  and  others  to  the  Trias. 
According  then  to  my  present  view,  the  Deep  and  Dan 
river  series  admits  of  the  following  divisions : 

Names.  Foreign  Equivalents. 

f  1.  Eed  sandstones,  marls,  etc.,  fKeuper  sandstone  &  marls, 

ToTio  J  2.  Black  or  blue  slate,  with  plants  and  a  coal  J  coal  shale,  group  of  the 
'■^^^^-        \  seam,  "|  ThuringerwaTd. 

1_3.  Conglomerate.  [  Muschelkalk  absent. 

r  Drab  colored  sandstones,  f  . 

I  Calcareous  and  bituminous  shales,  |    pp„„-„„ 

Permian.  ■<  Coal,  fire-clav,  argil,  oxide  of  iron,  -!    tj„+i, ''+  'j^^  i:^ ^„j„„ 

I  Red  sandstone,  semetimes  gray  and  drab,  |    ^""^^^  ^°^^^  hegendse. 
[^  Conglomerate.  |_ 

In  the  foregoing  schedule  I  have  placed  the  beds  in  the  or- 
der they  stand,  or  according  to  the  ordej  of  superposition. 

As  a  physical  group,  their  true  relations  are  represented 
in  the  foregoing  scheme.  But  it  remains  to  be  seen  whether 
it  is  what  some  call  a  natural  history  grouping ;  whether  its 
natural  history  characters  will  conflict  with  the  arrangement 
of  the  masses  as  they  stand  and  are  named,  or  whether  it  can 
be  sustained  by  the  evidence  of  fossils  at  all,  which  geolo- 
gists regard  as  the  test,  and  the  only  one  by  which  to  try 
physical  groups.  But,  it  should  be  said  that  we  must  first 
make  out  these  groups ;  fossils  cannot,  and  should  not,  over- 
ride the  testimony  of  superposition.  Having  made  out  the 
arrangement,  having  determined  the  order  of  superposition, 
we  are  then  prepared  to  see  what  we  have  got  in  the  line  of 
fossils,  and  having  seen  that,  we  may  then  look  abroad,  and 
see  what  series  the  great  masses,  as  well  as  the  component 
18  .  • 


274 


NORTH-CAROLINA    GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


parts,  are  cotemporaneous  with.     This  I  conceive  to  be  the 
use  of  fossils. 

Admitting,  however,  that  the  testimony  of  fossils  will  be 
required  to  sustain  the  division  and  the  names  I  have  affixed 
to  those  divisions,  it  should  certainly  be  recollected  that  we 
are  drawing  a  parallel  between  a  series  of  rocks  and  their 
fossil  contents,  which  are  separated  from  each  other  three 
thousand  miles ;  and  that  it  cannot  be  expected  that  systems 
80  wide  asunder  should  admit  of  that  direct  evidence  which 
those  do  which  are  nearer  to  each  other,  and  upon  the  same 
continent.  We  cannot  reasonably  expect  that  many  species 
will  be  common  to  two  groups  so  widely  separated. 

Our  conclusions,  too,  will  probably  stand  some  chance  of 
being  embarrassed  by  the  presence  of  new  species,  or  new 
genera,  which,  in  themselves,  unless  they  are  analogous  to 
those  of  supposed  cotemporaneous  strata,  cannot  help  us  in 
making  up  the  results.  It  may  occur,  too,  that  certain  Spe- 
cies which  in  one  country  are  confined  to  certain  distinct  well 
determined  bands,  will,  in  another,  pass  beyond  the  limits  in 
which  they  are  supposed  to  be  confined,  especially  at  distant 
localities.  When  the  number  of  embarrassments  are  likely 
to  be  multiplied,  it  is  wise  to  avail  ourselves  of  all  the  lights 
which  may  shine  from  any  source ;  and  hencej  we  should  not 
entirely  neglect  lithological  characters ;  we  may  give  them 
weight  when  taken  in  connexion  with  others  of  more  impor- 
tance, and  to  which  they  should  be  subordinate.  We  should 
allow  generic  relations  their  share  in  the  evidence ;  in- 
deed, it  is  unreasonable  to  expect  full  specific  evidence,  by 
which  I  mean,  that  which  arises  from  the  presence  of  many 
identical  species.  It  should  be  recollected,  too,  that  this  for-; 
mation  comes  in  at  the  close  of  the  Palaeozoic  period,  and. 
that  specific  affiliations  are  diminishing,  and  have  diminished 
materially  since  tho  beginning  of  the  Silurian  epoch. 

In  the  formations  under  consideration,  many  species  have 
been  found,  which  are  at  present  unknown  in  the  same  par- 
allels in  Europe  ;  but,  provided  their  analogies  are  known,  or, 
in  other  words,  their  generic  affiliations  can  be  made  out,  we 
should  be  satisfied.     Mr.  Agassiz's  determination  of  the  age 


NORTH- CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  275 

of  the  Richmond  coalfield  rests  on  the  remains  of  fish  which 
are  only  generically  related  to  those  which  in  Europe  belong 
to  the  Liassic  group ;  they  are  not  identical  species.  Hence, 
if  we  find  the  Thecodont  saurians  in  the  Deep  river  coal 
measures,  we  are  justified  in  adopting  the  opinion  that  it  is 
of  the  age,  or  nearly  parallel  with,  the  Bristol  conglomerate. 
We  find  the  analogies  of  the  Bristol  conglomerate,  and  not 
the  identical  species.  It  would  be  evidence  sufficient  to  de- 
termine us  to  place  it  in  the  Permian  rather  than  the  Triassic, 
where  another  order,  the  Batracian  reptiles  are  found,  or  in 
rather  parallel  planes  with  the  Lias,  where  Ichthyosaurs  and 
Pleisiosaurs  constitute  the  most  striking  part  of  its  saurian 
fauna.  Labyrinthodonts  belong  to  the  Triassic,  and  Theco- 
donts to  the  Permian  epoch. 

In  order  to  substantiate  the  correctness  of  the  preceding 
division,  as  well  as  to  sustain  the  views  which  I  have  express- 
ed, I  propose  to  place  before  the  reader  the  palseontological 
evidence  in  my  possession,  and  upon  which  the  whole  is 
based.  In  the  first  place,  I  shall  succeed  better  in  presenting 
the  palseontological  evidence  in  an  intelligible  form,  by  sta- 
ting certain  facts  which  have  a  direct  bearing  upon  the  right 
or  wrong  of  the  proposed  division. 

The  division  proposed,  I  acknowledge,  grew  out  of  pate- 
ontology.  I  had  observed  the  constant  occurrence  of  certain 
fossil  vegetables  in  certain  relations,  which  seemed  incompati- 
ble with  the  true  geological  position  these  fossils  were  snp- 
posed  to  occupy.  This  observation  led  to  an  investigation  of 
the  facts  pertaining  to  their  supposed  position,  when  it  was 
found  that  this  position,  or  the  supposed  position  and  relation, 
was  erroneous.  This  investigation  finally  led  to  the  correct 
determination  of  the  position  this  plant  bed  occupies.  Tie 
plant  bed  in  question  is  the  one  I  have  placed  in  a  parallel 
position  with  Lettenkohle  group  of  the  Thuringerwald. 

1.  The  earliest  discovery  which  led  me  to  entertain  the 
opinion  that  the  lower  sandstone  and  Deep  i-iver  coal  meas- 
ures were  cotemporaneous  with  the  Permian  system  in  part, 
-was  the  existence  therein  of  a  class  of  saurians  which  Prof. 
Owen,  of  London,  has  denominated  Thecodonts,  from  the 


276         NOKTH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL  STUlVE*. 

mode  in  whicli  tlieir  teeth  are  connected  witli  the  jaw.  The 
teeth  of  these  sanrians  were  found  on  my  first  visit  to  the 
coalfield.  By  sections,  I  have  been  able  to  determine  that 
these  canine  looking  teeth  did  not  belong  to  Sauroid  fishes, 
neither  were  they  the  teeth  of  the  Labyrinthodonts,  frog  like 
sanrians  which  belong  to  the  New  Red  sandstone.  I  have 
found  also,  that  they  do  not  occur  much  above  or  much  be- 
low the  rocks  which  immediately  invest  the  coal  seams. 

2.  At  Ellington's,  which  is  usually  known  as  the  Ehiney 
Wicker  place,  and  so  named  upon  the  map,  I  found  a  pecu- 
liar plant  bed  formed  of  dark  blue  slates,  in  which  there  is  a 
seam  of  fine  bituminous  coal  about  two  inches  thich.  Tliese 
blue  slates  or  shales  rest  upon  a  coarse  conglomerate.  This 
plant  bed  I  afterwards  traced  to  Jones'  Falls  or  Lockville, 
where  it  also  rests  upon  a  conglomerate,  which,  to  all  appear- 
ance, is  equivalent  to  the  conglomerate  below  the  lowest  red 
sandstone ;  and  which,  in  Moore  county,  is  used  for  mill- 
stones. To  determine  the  question  whether  it  is  or  is  not 
tliis  lower  conglomerate,  I  have  examined  the  lower  part  of 
the  red  sandstone  at  the  Gulf  and  elsewhere,  but  have  never 
discovered  this  plant  bed  in  the  position  it  occupies  at  Jones^ 
Falls.  It  is  only  forty  feet  above  the  porphyries  of  the  Ta- 
conic  system  at  this  place ;  but  when  traced  to  the  Ellington 
plantation,  six  miles  south-west,  the  sandstones  below  the 
conglomerate  have  come  in  in  great  force,  and  their  aggre- 
gate thickness  is  not  less  than  eight  hundred  feet.  Here, 
then,  we  have  proof  that  the  plant  bed  which  is  connected 
with  a  conglomerate  cannot  be  that  conglomerate  which  be- 
longs to  the  base  of  the  lower  red  sandstone.  When  traced 
still  farther  south-west,  I  found  that  it  rises  apparently  in  the 
series ;  and  we  find  it  in  the  next  place  overriding  the  whole 
of  the  carboniferous  series. 

3.  This  bhie  slate  containing  plants  is  again  exposed  about 
three  miles  north-east  of  Jones'  Falls,  on  the  plantation  of 
Mr.  House,  on  the  banks  of  Haw  river. 

This  plant  bed,  then,  may  be  traced  nearly  ten  miles.  It 
is  always  accompanied  by  the  conglomerate,  which  is  thirty 


NORTH-CAEOLUSTA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  277 

or  forty  feet  thick,  if  we'embrace  all  the  beds ;  some  of  which 
are  interlaminated  with  drab  colored  sandstones. 

To  the  south-west,  after  leaving  Ellington's,  most  of  the 
rocks  are  concealed  by  the  debris ;  and  where  the  conglome- 
rate appears  at  Evander  Mclver's  mill,  I  have  been  unable, 
as  yet,  to  find  the  blue  slates.  To  the  north-east  again,  after 
leaving  House's  quarry  upon  the  Haw  river,  the  lower  sand- 
stones increase  in  thickness  again ;  and  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Mooring's,  six  miles  from  Chapel  Hill,  the  black  bitumin- 
ous shales  or  slates  make  their  appearance.  At  this  place, 
there  is  probably  another  deep  depression  in  the  primary 
rocks,  where  it  is  possible  we  may  discover  a  limited  coal- 
field. But  in  attempting  to  trace  the  outcrop  of  these  lower 
3'ocks  farther  north-eastward,  we  find  it  is  soon  lost,  and  they 
are  entirely  discontinued  or  concealed  beneath  the  upper  red 
sandstone.  We  soon  find  ourselves  in  the  red  and  greenish 
marls,  which  we  suppose  may  be  the  Triassic  of  English  wri- 
ters ;  or  more  correctly,  it  may  be  regarded  as  the  Keuper  of 
the  German.  The  j)lant  bed  lies  beneath  the  Keuper,  and 
its  plants  are  certainly  analogous  to  those  which  are  found  in 
the  Lettenkoble  group  of  the  Thuringerwalds.  I  can  see  no 
objection  to  regard  the  blue  slates  as  its  equivalent.  This 
bed  contains  no  fish  scales,  or  any  animal  forms ;  and  I  be- 
lieve there  is  no  plants  in  it  w^hich  belong  to  the  bituminous 
shales  of  the  coal  seams.  These  are  certainly  strong  facts,' 
and  they  go  to  establish  the  doctrine,  that  these  beds  and 
their  overlying  red  and  green  marls  should  be  separated  from 
the  bituminous  beds  of  the  coal  series.  If  this  plant  bed  was 
beneath  the  coal  measures,  it  would  establish  the  docti'ine, 
that  the  whole  series  belong  to  the  Triassic  period. 

But  as  this  plant  bed  occurs  high  up  in  the  series,  and  after 
the  deposition  of  a  conglomerate,  it  only  effects  the  age  of 
the  series  above  it.  ISToV  as  the  conglomerate  at  Jones'  Falls 
rests  on  the  porphyries  and  porphyritic  slates  of  the  Taconic 
system,  it  is  evident  that  there  is  wanting  at  this  place  a  vast 
series  of  rocks,  consisting  of  the  lower  red  sandstone,  and 
the  whole  of  the  coal  measures,  as  they  are  developed  at 
Egj^pt  and  elsewhere.    Their  absence  is  a  fact,  and  that  fact 


278  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVEY. 

proves  that  all  of  their  seams  thins  out  in  this  direction,  and 
that  the  sandstones  about  Haywood  and  onward  towards 
Grranville  county,  are  no  less  and  no  more  than  the  upper 
sandstone  which  I  have  ventured  to  regard  as  equivalent  to 
the  Keuper  of  European  writers.  The  lower  sandstone,  if 
the  foregoing  views  are  correct,  is  the  E-otheliegendes,  the 
lowest  mass  of  the  Permian  system,  while  the  middle  is  iden- 
tified as  Permian,  by  its  Thecodont  saurians. 

It  is,  I  think,  evident,  from  an  inspection  of  the  rocks,  dis- 
regarding the  evidence  of  fossils,  that  they  should  be  divided. 
The  two  red  sandstones  are  widely  separated  by  intervening 
rocks ;  and  I  am  inclined  to  believe  that  there  is  a  slight  un- 
conformability  between  them..  Their  fossils,  too,  are  dissimi- 
lar. It  will  be  found  that  the  upper  is  fossilferous,  while  the 
lower  is  extremely  poor  in  organic  bodies.  In  whatever  light, 
then,  we  view  the  members  of  this  series,  we  are  forced  to 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  it  consists  of  members  belonging 
to  two  different  stages,  and  that  we  cannot  consistently,  with 
known  geological  principles,  place  the  whole  series  under  one 
head,  with  one  name  and  denomination.  We  cannot  call  the 
lower  sandstone  Triassic  or  Liassic,  because  it  has  none  of 
their  characters ;  but  in  the  upper  sandstone  there  are  Trias- 
sic fossils,  and  the  beds  which  contain  them  are  separated 
from  those  beneath  by  conglomerates,  as  well  as  by  thick 
masses  of  other  sediments.  The  foregoing  facts  place  in  a 
strong  light  the  danger  of  hasty  generalizations  where  the 
series  of  sediments  are  complicated,  and  where  their  position 
and  relations  are  obscure  from  the  absence  of  the  necessary 
terms,  for  a  correct  and  immediate  comparison ;  especially, 
those  generalizations  which  are  founded  or  drawn  from  one 
or  two  organic  facts. 

It  is  with  considerable  difiidence  that  I  have  proposed  the 
separation  of  the  upper  sandstone  ^-om  the  sediments  be- 
neath, and  it  is  only  after  a  careful  examination,  and  mature 
deliberation,  that  I  have  ventured  to  adopt  the  plan,  and  pub- 
lish it  under  the  circumstances  I  am  placed  in,  knowing  very 
well  that  it  is  not  in  accordance  to  the  published  opinions  of 
our  most  learned  geologists.     I  find,  however,  that  the  phe- 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  279 

nomena  do  not  admit  of  any  other  interpretation,  in  the  light 
of  facts  now  known.  It  may  turn  out,  it  is  true,  that  other 
discoveries  will  put  upon  the  questions  at  issue  a  different 
geological  aspect ;  but  until  other  facts  with  other  bearings 
are  brought  to  light,  I  shall  adhere  to  what  I  now  publish, 
believing  it  is  more  consistent  with  the  received  geological 
principles  of  the  day,  than  those  views  and  opinions  which 
have  heretofore  been  promulgated. 

In  forming  or  making  up  a  judgment  respecting  the  epoch 
of  the  deep  and  Dan  river  formations,  it  is  necessary  to  deter- 
mine, if  possible,  what  weight  each  class  of  fossils  should  of 
right  possess  in  the  balance.  It  is  clear,  in  the  first  place, 
that  we  are  obliged  to  rely  upon  the  testimonji^  of  fossils 
which  belong  to  analogous  formations  in  Europe,  their  sys- 
tems having  been  established  both  on  the  ground  of  super- 
position and  the  presence  of  certain  organic  bodies,  before 
our  formations  had  received  that  attention  which  is  necessary 
to  determine  the  exact  period  in  the  world's  history,  which 
they  represent.  In  this  respect,  we  are  obliged  to  follow  the 
lead  of  European  geologists.  We  are  obliged  to  determine 
at  what  period  some  of  our  formations  were  laid  down,  by 
the  assistance  of  European  tests.  We  cannot  now  take  an 
independent  course.  Yet  we  are  bound  to  make  out  a  strati- 
graphical  series  correctly,  when  possible ;  but  where  a  forma- 
tion is  deposited  upon  the  rocks  of  the  primary  or  Taconic 
series  as  is  the  fact  with  the  Deep  river  coal  series,  we  have 
no  stratigraphical  clue  to  base  our  opinions  upon  ;  and  hence, 
we  are  left  to  grope  our  way  slowly  by  the  aid  of  fossils ;  and 
it  cannot  be  expected  that  in  a  formation  so  peculiar,  so  bar- 
ren in  these  products  the  world  over,  that  we  can  at  once 

Note.— The  Bristol  conglomerate,  Eng.,  which  contains  the  teeth  and  bones  of  the 
Thecodont  saurians,  is  supposed  by  Prof.  Phillips  to  belong  to  the  lower  part  of  the 
Trias.  Should  his  view  prevail,  it  will  change  also  the  position  I  have  taken ;  for  it 
is  the  presence  of  these  saurians  in  the  Deep  and  Dan  river  formations  which  induces 
me  to  place  a  part  of  this  series  in  the  Permian  system.  I  have  been  sustaind  in  this 
view,  by  the  fact  that  these  saurian  remains  are  found  upon  the  continent  in  the  un- 
disputed Permian  beds.  I  think  I  am  warranted  in  this  course  by  the  opinions  of  all 
other  European  geologists,  who  have  invariably  regarded  the  presence  of  this  order 
of  saurians  as  the  best  test  of  age ;  and  besides,  Prof.  Phillips  stands  alone  in  locat- 
iHg  the  Bristol  conglomerate  in  the  Triassfc  system. 


280         •  NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVET. 

it 

make  tliose  comparisons  with  European  standards  which  will 
give  us  results  upon  which  we  may  rely.  The  comparisons 
which  had  been  made  prior  to  my  investigation  of  this  series 
of  sediments,  it  had  been  settled  that  they  were  formed  in  a 
period  subsequent  to  that  of  the  true  carboniferous,  as  devel- 
ed  in  Pensylvania  and  Ohio. 

The  series  which  succeed  the  latter  is  known  in  Europe  by 
the  name  of  Permian,  a  system  which  has  been  separated 
from  the  IsTew  Red,  with  which  it  had  been  groupei.  This 
was  done  only  recently.  Then,  in  going  up  to  the  next  beds 
of  the  upper  part  of  the  messozoic  series,  we  find  the  green 
sand.  Now,  it  was  well  settled  that  the  Deep  river  and 
Bichmond  coal  basins,  together  with  the  red  sandstones  of 
Kew  Jersey  and  Connecticut  valley,  were  deposited  at  some 
period  between  the  close  of  the  carboniferous  period  and  the 
green  sand.  The  known  European  rocks  which  are  interpos- 
ed between  these  perods,  are,  the  Permian,  Triassic,  Liassic 
and  Oolite,  with  certain  other  limited  or  local  formations, 
which  it  is  unnecessary  to  notice  in  this  place. 

But  it  does  not  satisfy  the  requirements  of  geology  to  de- 
termine simply  and  only  that  our  formations  may  lie  some- 
where in  this  wide  interval.  This  wide  interval  is  filled  with 
stirring;  events,  it  is  not  a  blank ;  but  we  find  in  it  the  closing 
up  of  the  palgeozoic  account,  and  the  entry  upon  a  new  book, 
the  messozoic ;  and  among  the  first  entries,  we  have  to  note 
the  foot  marks  of  warm  blooded  animals ;  the  animals  which 
had  lived  before  were  all  cold  blooded.  This  is  one  of  the 
first  entries  upon  the  messozoic  book ;  and  here  we  find  the 
feathered  biped,  whose  footmarks  are  seen  in  all  countries 
where  the  New  JKed  sandstone  or  Trias  is  known.  The  next 
page  in  the  messozoic  book  is  the  record  of  the  creation  of 
the  mamiferous  types,  which  then  is  another  important  stage 
recorded  in  oolites  of  Solenhoften. 

We  see,  therefore,  if  we  would  bring  up  our  geological 
dates  with  those  of  Europe,  we  must  localize  our  formations 
more  closely ;  we  must  draw  the  parallels  in  lines  which  shall 
be  nearly  coincident.  Prof.  William  B.  Eodgers,  in  carrying 
out  the  objects  which  I  have  thus  designated,  has  recently 


NOETH-CAROLINA  GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY.         281 

drawn  certain  parallels  by  whicli  he  makes  the  formations 
under  consideration  coincident  with  the  Liassic  of  Europe. 
This  conclusion  rests  on  a  few  fossils  only,  and  those  which 
are  equivalent  in  their  nature.  Thus,  the  Equisetum  Colum- 
nare  is  a  fossil,  which  is  eminently  characteristic  of  the  Keu- 
per  sandstones  and  marls  of  the  Trias.  The  Cypridse  referred 
to,  of  themselves,  possess  but  little  weight;  they  exist  be- 
fore this  period,  and  would  go  equally  as  far  to  identify  the 
Deep  river  series  with  older  formations,  as  with  the  Liassic 
or  the  Jura.  ^At  most,  there  are  but  two  species  yet  known 
in  the  Deep  river  rocks,  though  one  of  them  is  very  com- 
mon. The  Lycopodites  is,  manifestly,  quite  a  different  spe- 
cies from  the  L.  Williamsonis.  ISTone  of  the  Zamites  have 
been  identified  with  species  of  the  Jurassic  age.  But  the 
conclusion  that  certain  parts  of  the  formations  under  consider- 
ation belong  to  one  age,  and  certain  to  another,  there  remains 
scarcely  a  doubt ;  a  view  which  I  had  adopted  several  years 
ago.  I  have  already  stated  the  facts  upon  which  I  rely  for 
establishing  the  Permian  age  of  the  lower  members  of  this 
series,  and  more  evidence  remains  to  be  brought  forward 
respecting  the  identity  of  the  upper  members  with  the  Keu- 
per  sandstone  and  marls.  But  1  may,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
general  reader,  dwell  a  little  longer  upon  the  saurians  I  have  re- 
ferred to.  I  do  this,  not  so  much  for  the  sake  of  argument  or 
the  bearing  the  facts  may  have  upon  the  settlement  of  the 
question  at  issue,  as  for  the  sake  of  the  history  they  furnish  ; 
but  in  passing,  I  have  one  remark  upon  another  point,  it  is 
this,  that  the  higher  grade  of  fossils  should  have  more  weight 
in  deciding  a  doubtful  question  than  the  lower ;  that  an  ani- 
mal should  have  more  weight  than  a  vegetable  ;  that  a  Palse- 
osaur  should  be  regarded  as  more  important  than  a  Pecop- 
teris,  a  cypris,  or  posidonia ;  and  a  vertebrated  animal  should 
have  more  weight  than  an  invertebrate.  This,  I  beheve,  is 
the  doctrine  of  Prof.  Agassiz. 

The  Thecodont  saurians  of  the  Bristol  conglomerate,  to- 
gether with  those  of  this  type  in  other  Permian  strata  upon 
the  Continent,  were  Lacertian  reptiles  provided  with  four 
members  for  locomotion,  and  which  were  adapted  for  swim- 


282  NOKTH-CAROLESrA   GEOLOGICAL   STTRVET. 

ming  as  well  as  progression  upon  land.  They  would  rank  in 
the  same  grade  as  the  highest  reptiles  of  the  present,  the  rep- 
tilian characters  being  developed  in  full,  unless  indeed  the 
ichthyic  type  remained  recognizable  in  the  biconcave  form 
of  the  vertebra.  With  the  double  headed  rib,  we  see  the 
reptilian  heart  and  circulation  taking  precedence  over  that  of 
the  fish,  and  with  this  advancement  in  rank  we  find,  most 
probably,  the  most  perfect  representation  of  this  mode  of  cir- 
culation to  which  any  order  of  animals  had  attained  in  this 
early  period.  Reptiles,  then,  of  the  highest  rank,  are  the 
representatives  of  the  Permian  epoch ;  and  without  doubt 
should  be  placed  in  the  front  rank  of  its  characteristic  fossils. 
If  to  this,  however,  is  added  the  subsequent  introduction  of 
Triassic  fossils,  and  the  discontinuance  of  those  belonging  to 
the  beds  in  which  these  peculiar  saurians  occur,  it  seems  to 
me  the  evidence  is  as  complete  as  possible,  that  in  the  lower 
members  of  the  Deep  river  series  we  may  claim  the  exist- 
ence of  the  Permian  system.  Should  this  conclusion  be  sus- 
tained, it  will  add  to  our  sedimentary  systems  an  imjDortant 
member,  which  most,  if  not  all  geologists  of  this  country, 
have  hitherto  supposed  was  wanting.  It  fills  up  an  impor- 
tant gap  in  our  series,  and  supplies  in  this  country  a  continu- 
ous chain  of  the  history  of  our  planet ;  and  if  the  discoveries 
of  Prof.  Marcou  in  the  far  west  are  also  confirmed  respect- 
ing the  existence  of  the  Jurassic  series,  it  will  probably  turn 
out  that  geologic  time  is  as  fully  represented  in  the  American 
as  in  the  European  systems.  It  will  then  be  confirmatory  of 
the  great  doctrine  which  has  been  taught,  that  there  has  been 
an  uniformity  the  world  over,  in  the  operation  of  nature,  in 
both  the  organic  and  inorganic  worlds.- 

Thus,  in  Europe,  the  Sauroid  fish  appear  in  the  Devonian 
system ;  then  a  class  of  saurians  in  the  Carboniferous ;  then 
the  Tliecodonts  in  Permian,  followed  by  the  Labyi'inthodonts 
or  frog  like  saurians  of  the  Trias,  and  the  Ichthyosaurs  and 
Pleisiosaurs  in  the  Lias  or  Jura.  In  the  latter,  however,  we 
have  something  to  do  to  complete  the  analogies.  But  in  the 
upper  messozoic  we  have,  .as  in  Europe,  the  Mossosaurus  ; 
and  finally,  in  the  Pre  Adamic  period,  a  parallel  in  the  ma- 


,     NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  283 

malian  fauna,  especially  in  the  general  distribution  of  tlie 
the  family  of  Elephants  and  Mastodons. 


CHAPTEK  XXXIX. 

Description  of  the  Organic  Remains  of  the  lower  series  of 
Deposits  of  Deep  river,  which  have  been  denominated  the 
Perjnian  system. 

§  250.  The  fossils  will  be  described  in  the  order  in  which 
they  occur  in  the  beds,  beginning  with  the  inferior  ones. 
Tliese  fossils  consist  of  plants  and  animals.  In  the  older  or 
lower  red  sandstone,  but  few  fossils  of  any  kind  exist.  Those 
which  have  been  found  are  marine  vegetables,  whose  char- 
acters are  obscure  ;  yet  they  are  so  well  preserved,  that  it  is 
not  difficult  to  recognize  them.  No  animal  remains  have 
been  discovered  in  the  lower  red  sandstone. 

1.  Remains  of  vegetables  in  the  lower  sandstone,  or  Rothe- 
liegendes. — The  most  important  vegetable  remains  are  the 
silicified  trunks  of  trees  belonging  to  the  order  of  conifera  or 
cone  bearing  trees.  The  fragments  of  the  stems  are  well 
known  as  petrified  wood.  These  stems  and  trunks  occur  of 
various  dimensions,  and  seem  to  be  found  at,  or  to  belong  to, 
the  inferior  part  of  this  rock.  They  are  usually  brown,  some- 
times black,  as  if  penetrated  by  manganese.  The  bark  is  al- 
ways absent,  unless  in  certain  obscure  parts,  which  appear 
like  roots  when  the  outside  surface  is  charred.  The  texture 
of  the  wood  is  usually  vissible,  and  the  structure  peculiar  to 
coniferous  trees  can  be  made  out  with  a  good  lens. 

The  stems  are  always  broken,  but  some  of  the  pieces  are 
five  or  six  feet  long.  The  place  of  a  branch  is  often  visible 
by  the  growth  around  the  part.     Of  the  silicified  trees,  the 


284  NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    STJRITEY.      ■. 

locality,  where  tliej  exist  in  tlie  greatest  numbers,  is  in  Ger- 
manton,  in  Stokes  connty.  They  are  so  numerous  as  to  have 
received  the  name  petrified  forest.  They  are  not  confined  to 
this  place,  but  are  found  strewed  upon  the  surface  of  the 
ground  at  Haywood,  in  Chatham  county ;  near  Wadesbo- 
rough,  in  Anson ;  and  also  some  fifteen  miles  south-west  of 
Troy,  in  Montgomery.  At  Jones'  Falls,  I  found  a  rolled 
fragment  of  one  in  the  conglomerate  of  that  place.  Frag- 
ments have  also  been  transported  to  the  east,  when  they  are 
folmd  in  "Wayne  county,  in  the  alluvial  covering  of  the 
Meiocene. 

As  it  regards  the  precise  period  to  which  these  silicified 
stems  belong,  I  believe  it  is  not  yet  satisfactorily  determined. 
Stems  of  this  description  are  found  along  the  edge  or  borders 
of  the  upper  sandstone ;  but  1  have  not  found  any  which  I 
could  sav  belonged  to  the  rock.  I  can  see  no  difference,  ex- 
ternally,  between  those  bordering  the  upper  sandstone,  and 
those  which  are  inclosed  in  the  lower.  The  rolled  fragment 
in  the  conglomerate  is  older,  of  course,  than  the  beds  of  which 
it  formed  a  part ;  and  as  these  beds  underlie  the  npper  sand- 
stone, it  is  evident  they  do  not  form  a  part  of  its  organic  re- 
mains. And  those  which  lie  upon  the  surface,  on  the  bor- 
ders of  the  upper,  may  have  been  transported  there  by 
streams  which  have  ceased  to  flow.  From  the  foregoing  facts 
and  reasoning,  I  am  disposed  to  regard  these  stems  of  conife- 
rous plants  as  having  grown  during  the  deposition  of  the 
Rothe  todthe  Liegendes.  It  appears  from  circumstances, 
however,  that  these  trunks  have  been  subjected  to  violence  ; 
and  though  we  find  some  standing  upon  end,  yet  it  is  to  be 
proved  that  they  grew  in  the  position  which  they  now  occupy. 

§  251.  YegetcMes  which  are  sometimes  known  under  the 
name  of fucoids. — As  in  most  countries,  so  in  IlTorth-Carolina, 
the  lower  sandstone  and  conglomerates  which  represent  the 
beds  known  in  Germany  as  the  Rothe  todthe  liegendes,  are 
quite  barren  of  fossils.  The  conglomerate  contains  lignite  in 
a  bad  state  of  preservation ;  but  the  plants  which  grew  while 
the  rock  was  being  deposited,  were  certain  marine  plants ; 
and  the  most  common  one  which  I  have  observed  in  the 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEr.  285 

sandstone,  and  which  is  distributed  through  it,  generally  be- 
longs to  the  genus  Chondkites.  It  penetrates  the  rock  verti- 
cally, is  somewhat  branching ;  but  what  is  quite  peculiar,  is, 
that  its  main  frond*  is  double,  or  appears  so,  and  these  stems 
are  usually  twisted  or  winding.  It  enlarges  and  contracts  ir- 
regularly, but  is  never  inflated  or  much  swollen.  It  has  no 
foilage,  of  course,  but  it  sends  off  subdivisions  of  the  main 
frond,  which  alternate  with  each  other.  The  sub-divisions  go 
off  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  branches  from  which  they 
proceed. 

It  is  impossible  to  trace  this  fucoid  far  enough  to  determine 
its  length.  I  have  observed  some  parts  of  the  plant  which 
are  four  inches  long.  I  believe  it  is  confined  to  the  lower  red 
sandstone,  and  is  the  most  abundant  in  its  middle  part.  The 
name  which  I  propose  for  this  plant  is  Choistdeites,  d%tpli' 
catus. 

It  should  be  observed  that  it  is  probable  this  rock  will  be 
found  richer  in  fossils  than  I  have  represented.  As  yet  there 
are  no  quarries  opened,  and  as  it  ij  generally  concealed  be- 
neath its  own  debris,  few  opportunities  are  furnished  for  test- 
ing or  determining  its  organic  wealth.  ~^o  animal  remains 
have  been  observed  in  this  rock. 

This  sandstone  has  the  texture  of  the  red  and  purplish  free- 
stones of  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey  and  Connecticut ;  and 
much  of  it  is  well  adapted  to  construction.  It  however  con- 
tains marly  beds,  which  are  undergoing  disintegration.  Peb- 
bly beds  are  not  unfrequent ;  bat  it  has  no  important  bed  of 
conglomerate  except  that  upon  which  it  rests.  Hence,  it  ap- 
pears to  have  been  deposited  in  waters  which  were  compara- 
tively quiet  and  undisturbed  by  violent  currents.  Hence, 
too,  we  cannot  attribute  its  paucity  of  organic  remains  to  this 
cause ;  but  must  probably  look  to  the  presence  of  the  oxide 
of  iron  which  gave  a  turbid  slate  to  its  waters,  and  which  ul- 
timately invested  the  grains  of  quartz  of  which  it  is  mainly 


*  The  term  frond  applies  to  that  part  of  the  plant  which  would  usually  be  regard- 
ed as  the  stem,  or  main  support  ;  but  it  also  applies  to  the  whole  of  the  plant,  as  it  is 
destitute  of  leaves,  or  the  common  forms  of  floral  organs. 


286 


NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY. 


composed.     These  may  be  washed  and  freed  from  its  coating 
when  they  become  either  white  or  hyahne. 

§  252.  (2.)  Fossils  of  the  Goal  Measures^  including  the  drab 
colored  sandstones. — A.  Yegetable  remains. — As  there  is  no 
distinct  hne  of  demarcation  between  the  shales  or  bituminous 
slates  and  the  drab  colored  sandstones,  I  shall  describe  the 
fossils  of  each  as  if  they  formed  one  rock.  They,  however 
alternate,  and  finally  the  slates  give  way,  and  the  sandstones 
predominate.  These  are  often  marked  by  the  waving  ridges 
and  furrows  which  are  known  under  the  name  of  rijpple 
marks,  proving,  as  is  sujDposed,  that  the  sandstones  were  de- 
posited in  shallow  water.  The  annexed  figure  illustrates  the 
phenomenon  I  have  described. 


Fig   2f>. 


The  gray  or  drab  colored  beds  begin  or  appear  in  some 
places  below  the  slates,  and  perhaps  the  red  always  disap- 
pears before  the  thin  fighter  colored  rocks  appear  in  the  se- 
ries. Indeed,  there  are  drab  colored  beds  intermixed  with 
the  lower  red  at  various  places. 

The  coal  measures  are  made  up,  therefore,  of  gray  and 
drab  colored  sandstones,  black  bituminous  shales  and  green- 
ish calcareous  shales,  which  also  contain  bitumen,  but  no  fos- 
sils, argillaceous  oxide  of  iron,  black  band,  fire-clay  and  coal 
seams.  There  are  no  less  than  seven  alternations  of  these 
nonfossilferous  beds  with  the  bituminous  beds,  which  are 
loaded  with  cypris  and  many  posidonia,  fish  scales,  etc.  The 
coal  slates  and  shales  proper,  which  do  not  alternate  with 


NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  28T 

beds  of  sandstone,  are  about  eight  hundred  feet  thick  at 
Egypt,  embracing  a  few  beds  of  drab  colored  sandstone  be- 
low the  slate.  Tlie  drab  colored  sandstones  above  the  coal 
slates  are  about  twelve  hundred  feet  thick  at  Evander  Mc- 
Iver's  plantation.  The  whole  series  then  which  I  have  de- 
nominated for  the  sake  of  convenience,  coal  measures,  (per- 
haps improperly,)  is  nearly  two  thousand  feet  thick.  These 
upper  beds  of  gray  or  drab  colored  sandstones,  are  oft^n  par- 
tially covered  with  an  efflorescence  in  summer  which  consists 
mostly  of  common  salt,  hence  this  part  of  the  series  has  been 
denoted  as  the  salines  in  one  of  my  sections ;  and  probably 
it  will  be  found  necessary  to  make  a  wider  distinction  be- 
tween the  upper  gray  mass  and  the  beds  below  it  than  I  have 
hitherto  made.  This  upper  drab  colored  mass  ends  with  con- 
glomerates below  the  Keuper  sandstone  and  marls,  the  up- 
per member  of  the  Triassic  system. 

The  chemical  composition  of  the  calcareous  shales  is  as  fol- 
lows : 

Carbonate  of  lime, 35.50 

Carb.  of  magnesia, ■  9.25 

Alumina  and  protoxide  of  iron,...  15.70 

Hygrometric  water, 2.59 

Insoluble, 36.88 

99.42 

The  shale  is  traversed  by  soft  gray  seams  half  an  inch  wide, 
which  are  richer  in  lime,  probably,  than  the  more  shaly  part. 
The  examination  proves  that  these  beds  contain  magnesia, 
which  is  a  fact  common  to  these  locahties.  The  beds  are,  no 
doubt,  variable  ;  but  probably  magnesia  is  a  constant  con- 
stituent. 

SUB  KINGDOM,  CEYPTOGMIA. 
The  plants  belonging  to  this  sub-kingdom  form  two  classes, 
which  are  known  under  the  names,  Thallogens  and  Acrogens, 
They  are  characterized  thus:  structure  cellular,  stems  and 
leaves  undistinguishable. — Ldstdley. 


288  JTOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

The  Tliallogens  contains  tlie  Algales,  Fungales  and  Lin- 
clienales  of  Lindley. 

SUB  CLASS  Algales. — LnsfCLEY. 
The  fossil  vegetables  belonging  to  this  division  of  tbe  vege- 
table Kingdom,  are  generally  known  under  tbe  name  of  Fu- 
coids,  or  plants  like  the  present  sea  weeds. 

GENUS,  Chondrites. — Steenbekg. 

Chondrites  interruptus. — E.  n.  s. 

Frond  smooth,  irregularly  interrupted,  branching,  dichoto- 
mous ;  angle  acute.  Smaller  branches  constricted  where 
they  leave  the  main  frond,  generally  short  and  acute,  rather 
thick  in  the  middle,  clustered  together  at  the  upper  extremi- 
ty, prostrate. 

The  fronds  are  never  twisted  nor  double,  as  in  the  one  in 
the  lower  sandstone  already  described.  Large  surfaces  of  the 
thin  bedded  drab  colored  sandstone,  interlaminated  with  the 
black  bituminous  slate,  are  often  covered  with  tliis  fucoid.  The 
beds  alternate  a  few  times  with  a  fragile  slate  which  abounds 
in  a  minute  Posidonia.  This  fossil  is  found  upon  the  planta- 
tion of  Evander  Mclver,  Esq.,  about  four  miles  east  of  Egypt, 
beneath  the  coal  seams  ;  bnt  being  upon  or  near  a  line  of  dis- 
turbance, it  is  uncertain  at  what  depth  below  the  coal  seams 
these  fucoid  beds  occur. 

Chondrites  gracilis. — E.  n.  s, 
Plate  2,  Fig.  4. 

Frond  slender  and  smooth,  gently  tapering,  and  apparent- 
ly branching,  branches  distant. 

This  fucoid  forms  a  coiled  mesh  of  delicate  cordlike  fronds 
upon  the  drab  colored  sandstones.  They  appear  at  first  sight 
like  a  matted  mass  of  roots,  but  on  close  inspection  they  turn 
out  to  be  the  fronds  of  a  marine  plant.  It  is  sometimes  lar- 
ger than  I  have  represented  in  the  figure  ;  but  it  is  found  un- 
der a  lens,  to  be  interwoven  with  many  delicate  threads. 
These,  no  doubt,  are  the  extremities  of  the  branches.     The 


N-OETH-CAEOLIlfA   GEOLOGICAL   SUiaVEY.      .  289 

Numerous  crossings  of  these  threads  and  cordlike  fronds  ob- 
scures the  characters  of  the  plant,  and  especially  the  mode 
in  which  it  branches.  It  occurs  npon  the  plantation  of  Mr. 
Forshee,  about  two  miles  west  of  Egypt,  where  the  sand- 
stones have  suffered  a  dislocation,  and  rise  up  from  Deep 
river  in  a  high  bluff,  about  opposite  the  Taylor  plantation. 
This  fossil  is  in  the  drab  sandstones  above  the  bituminous 
slates.  At  the  place  where  they  occur,  the  fracture  is  more 
prominent  than  at  any  other  point  upon  Deep  river.  The 
displacement  is,  at  least,  five  hundred  feet. 

Chondkites  EAMosrs. — E.  n.  s. 

Stem  or  frond  interruptedly  ridged,  or  coarsely  striate, 
tapering  branches  alternate. 

The  ridges  of  the  stem  or  frond  may  have  become  so  by 
pressure,  though,  to  all  appearance,  the  ridged  surface,  to- 
gether with  the  interruptions,  is  due  to  the  natural  growth  of 
the  plant.  It  is  flattened  and  prostrate.  Its  appearance  is 
indicative  of  its  having  been  a  land  plant;  but  its  minute 
branches  are  destitute  of  foliage,  and  it  is  evident  that  it  is 
not  a  fern.*  This  plant  is  briefly  noticed,  as  it  is  quite  com- 
mon at  Egypt,  in  intimate  relation  to  the  coal  seams.  This 
speciriien  was  taken  from  that  part  of  the  shaft  which  lies 
between  the  six  foot  and  the  little  seam  thirty  feet  below.  It 
is  associated  with  an  E(|uisetum  and  a.  Cheilanthites. 

GENUS,   GymNOOAULUS,   71.  g. — E, 

-       •  Plate  I.  Fig.  4. 

Frond  tapering  and  branching,  branchlets   dichotomous, 
the  main  branches  forming  with  each  other,  or  with  the  main 
'  stem,  an  angle  of  YO^. 

GymnocAlus,  alteknatus. 
Stem  or  frond  apparently  smooth,  tapering;  branches  al^ 
ternate,  naked,  dichotomous. 

The  figure  referred  to  gives  all  the  information  respecting 
this  plant  of  which  I  am  in   possession.     The  structure  is 
shown  iii  th6  main  stem,  where  it  appears  rather  coarsely 
19 


290  NOETH-CABOLINA    GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

cellular.  The  condition  of  the  plant  is  similar  to  half  de- 
cayed vegetable ;  and  hence,  is  not  silicified,  or  in  any  way 
mineralized.  The  largest  of  the  stems  are  half  an  inch  in 
diameter.  It  has  some  resemblance  to  the  Cryptomeritus. 
but  is,  notwithstanding,  a  difterent  plant. 

It  is  found  in  the  black  bituminous  slates  of  the  Dan  river, 
at  Madison,  Stokes  county,  and  on  the  Deep  river  at  Evans' 
bridge.  It  is  very  common  in  some  places,  the  most  so  of 
any  fossil  except  the  cypris  of  the  shales. 

CLASS,   CkYPTOGAMU.,  CONTINUED. 

SUB  CLASS  II. ACEOGENS — MuSOALES. 

1     "■  .  '  • 

I^AT.  ORDER  EqUISETACEA  OF  HoRSETAILS; 

a 

Equisetum  columnaroides. — E.  n.  s. 
Plate  2,  Fig.  3. 

Cuticular  surface  very  finely  striate  reticulate ;  articula- 
tions indistinct,  uniform,  obscurely  marked  and  linear  ribs, 
composed  of  two  alternating  kinds,  the  ligulate  an^  acutely 
tapering;  the  latter,  grooved  in  the  middle,  sometimes  the 
groove  is  obsolete: 

The  articulations  are  from  one-and-a-half  to  two  inches  dis- 
tant from  each  other.  In  the  specimen  from  which  the  de- 
scription is  drawn,  which  is  nine  inches  long,  there  are  four 
joints,  and  half  of  another ;  and  there  are  twelve  or  thirteen 
ribs  in  a  width  of  two  inches. 

This  specimen  of  Equisetum  occurs  at  Egypt,  and  is  quite 
abundant  in  the  materials  taken  from  the  deep  shaft,  espe- 
cially in  that  part  of  it  between  the  six  foot  and  one  foot  seam. 
It  is  mostly  in  a  gray  sandy  fire-clay,  which  disintegrates 
rapidly  by  exposure  to  the  air. 

The  specimen  from  which  the  figure  was  drawn  occurred 
in  the  black  bituminous  shales,  upon  the  plantation  of  Mr. 
Mclver,  and  was  taken  from  the  mass  above  the  coal  seam. 

It  therefore  probably  ranges  through  this  series ;  but  doesi 
not  occur  in  the  drab  colored  sandstones,  above  these  slates. 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICiX    SURVEY.  291 

It  resembles,  in  certain  points,  the  Eqiiisetiim  columnare,' 
for  wliich  it  might  possibly  be  mistaken  ;  but  the  points  are 
twice  the  distance  apart,  at  least,  and  at  uniform  or  nearly 
uniform  intervals,  though  in  the  columnare  they  are  more  dis- 
tant toward  the  middle  of  the  stem  than  at  the  base  ;  but  it 
more  especially  differs  from  the  Equisetum  columnare  of 
Brogn.  in  the  linear  form  of  the  points,  and  the  absence  of 
teeth  or  pointed  terminations  of  the  ribs  at  each  of  the  joints. 

Remarks. — ^The  specimen  from  which  the  figure  was  taken 
was  perfectly  flattened,  and  resembles  a  leaf  rather  than  a 
stem;  but  it  appears  to  be  sufficiently  exact  to  lead  the  col- 
lectors aright ;  it  was  figured  before  the  better  specimens  of 
the  plant  were  brought  to  light  at  Egypt. 

I  have  not  yet  observed,  in  the  coal  slates  of  Deep  river, 
specimens  of  the  Equisetum  columnare  described  by  Yvoi. 
William  B.  Eodgers,  and  which  is  regarded  as  one  of  the 
characteristic  fossils  of  the  Richmond  series.  In  a  specimen 
•  which  I  obtained  from  this  series,  the  tuberculations  at  the 
joints  are  quite  distinct,  and  hence  I  have  no  doubt  respect- 
ing the  accuracy  of  the  observations  of  M.  Brogniardt  re- 
specting his  plant  from  the  Richmond  coal  field ;  but  it  is  not 
as  distinct  in  its  tuberculations  as  some  specimens  of  the  C- 
8uckowi. 

LyCOPODALES. LiNDLEY. 

Nat.  oedee,  Lycopodiage^,  oe  clubb  mosses. 
Plate  3,  Eig.  3. 
§  253.  Plants  belonging  to  the  Lycopodiacese  occur  in  the 
bituminous  slate  and  gray  sandstone  of  the  coal  measure. 
All  the  specimens  which  have  fallen  under  my  notice  are  too 
obscure  to  be  successfully  compared  with  Fig.  2,  of  the  same 
plate.  The  specimen  figure  was  taken  from  the  most  perfect 
I  have  seen.  It  appears  to  be  a  smaller  plant,  and  with  a 
stem  supporting  fewer  branches ;  indeed,  I  have  not  seen  one 
which  branched  at  all ;  whereas,  the  other  by  its  side,  is 
profuse  in  giving  off  branches. 

Filicales. — Lindley. 


292  NOETH-CAEOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   SUEVElf. 

POLIPODIACE^,    OK  FEENS. 

Tlie  ferns  of  this  country  are  always  small  plants,  with 
under  ground  stems,  while  in  warmer  climates  they  are  pro-^ 
vided  with  serial  stems  which  rise  to  the  height  of  fifty  or 
sixty  feet.  They  are  then  called  tree  ferns.  Of  this  descrip^ 
tion  wei'e  many  of  the  ferns  of  the  carboniferous  system,  a. 
fact  which  is  indicative  of  a  molster  and  warmer  climate,  and 
one  in  which  an  extreme  cold  was  probably  unknown.  The 
leaves  of  these  plants  are  termed  fronds^  and  the  organs 
which  are  necessary  to  reproduce  the  plant,  and  which  are 
analogous  in  these  functions  to  seeds,  grow  upon  the  back  of 
the  leaflets  of  the  frond,  either  upon  the  small  veins  or  upon 
ih.%  margin.  The  organs  are  microscopic,  though  in  mass  dis- 
tinctly visible.  The  spores  or  the  reproductive  organs,  when 
mature,  become  visible  where  the  plant  is  agitated,  or  shaken, 
in  the  form  of  a  darkish  cloud.  This  appearance  is  pro- 
duced by  the  detachment  of  millions  of  spores  or  repro- 
ductive grains,  which  in  mass  have  received  the  name  of 
Sori.  The  grains  resemble  more  than  anything  else  the  pol- 
len of  plants.  Some  plants  bear  no  organs  of  fructification, 
and  hence  are  termed  barren. 

Upon  Plate  4,  Fig.  9,  I  have  figured  a  fertile  fossil  fern, 
which  shows  the  Sori  in  the  form  of  dots  arranged  in  lines 
upon  the  back  of  the  pinnules.  This  arrangement,  together  with 
the  organs  themselves,  is  a  perfect  exhibition  of  the  fructifi- 
cation which  may  be  frequently  seen  during  the  summer 
and  autumn,  in  many  recent  ferns.  Indeed,  the  original 
type  of  this  beautiful  class  of  plants  is  perfectly  preserved ; 
and  may  be  seen  in  all  the  geological  stages  at  present  known, 
since  ferns  became  the  inhabitants  of  earth. 

ChEILANTHITES. — GOEPPERT. 

Frond  bi-pinnate  ;  pinnse  oblique,  sessile  lobed  ;  lobes^ 
acute,  rather  than  rounded,  proximate  alternate. 

This  plant  is  poorly  preserved  except  in  its  firmer  parts,  as 
the  stem  and  midribs  of  the  leafets,  which  may  be  distinctly 
traced;  but  the  jJarenchyma  is  obscurely  defined,  and  it 
was  difficult  to  obtain  an  exact  outline  of  it. 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  293 

This  plant  occurs  abundantly  in  the  deep  shaft  at  Egypt, 
associated  with  the  Equisetum  columnaroides,  in  the  fragile 
gritty  fire-clay  between  the  coal  seams.  It  is  a  large  fern, 
the  stem  of  which  is  sometimes  half  an  inch  in  diameter. 

Family  undetermined. 

Dyctuocaulus  striatus,  n.  g. — ^E. 
Plate  1,  Fig.  3. 

Frond,  or  stem  thick,  tapering  below,  somewhat  triangular, 
lobed ;  lobes  striate,  from  the  base  or  divergent  from  it — 
growth'  often  parasitic. 

The  stem  appears  to  have  been  succulent,  and  to  have  re- 
sembled some  of  the  varieties  of  plants  commonly  known  un- 
der the  name  of  prickly  pear.  This  plant  was  at  one  time 
very  common  in  the  coal  at  Farmville,  indeed  it  is  always  in 
the  form  of  a  soft  bituminous  coal  which  preserve  the  stems 
in  a  state  in  which  it  was  possible  to  detach  them  from  the 
mass.  They  always  exhibited  two  or  three  tiers  of  growth, 
each  stem  starting  out  from  the  summit  of  an  older  one ;  as 
represented  in  the  figure.  This  plant  apparently  throws  some 
light  upon  the  kind  of  vegetation  from  which  the  coal  itself 
originated ;  but  a  soft  succulent  stem,  when  subjected  to  the 
pressure  which  a  coal  seam  has  to  sustain,  must  be  generally 
^obliterated,  or  crushed  into  one  homogeneous  mass. 


CHAPTER  XL. 

Of  the  Animal  Remains  of  the  Coal  Measures  of  Deep  and 
Dan  rivers. — JSTotice  of  tde  Vertebral  Remains  of  the  Bris- 
tol Conglomerate^  etc. 

§  254.  Tlie  organic  remains  which  I  have  discovered  in  the 


294  .       NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SIJKVET. 

formations  under  consideration,  in  the  course  of  the  geologi- 
cal survey,  and  which  are  confined  to  the  coal  measures  pro- 
per, belong  to  three  classes,  the  vertehrata,  molusca  and  ar- 
ticulata.  All  are  important,  although  there  are  only  a  few 
species  under  each  class.  In  the  molusca  only  one  or  two 
species  are  known,  and  the  same  may  be  said  of  the  articu- 
lata.  Of  the  vertebrata,  which  really  contain  the  most  in- 
teresting and  important  of  the  discoveries,  there  are  proba- 
bly four  species  or  kinds.  They  belong  to  a  peculiar  order  of 
saurians,  of  which  but  few  only  are  known  to  have  existed, 
or  of  which  at  least,  but  a  few  discoveries  have  been  made  in 
any  part  of  the  world.  They  belong  to  that  order  of  reptiles 
which  have  received,  for  certain  reasons,  the  name  of  Theco- 
donts, which  were  supposed  to  have  inhabited  seas  or  estua- 
ries ;  but  at  the  same  time,  to  have  been  provided  with  ex- 
tremities suitable  for  walking,  or  for  progression  upon  land. 
They  ranked  higher  in  the  scale  of  organization  than  othei-s 
of  the  same  order  which  lived  nearer  our  own  times ;  and 
hence,  seem  to  break  up  that  regularity  in  progressive  rank 
or  development  which  is  claimed  by  many  geological  writers. 
As  I  propose  to  describe  the  vertebrate  animals  first,  I  may 
here  state  in  this  place  that  they  belong  to  two  great  families ; 
the  rejptiles  and^sA,  Of  these  the  former  are  the  most  impor- 
tant, as  the  discoveries  now  stand,  inasmuch  as  their  charac- 
ters are  preserved  better,  and  their  presence  furnishes  the 
most  decisive  test  of  the  age  of  the  rocks  which  contain  them. 

The  common  reader  who  has  not  turned  his  attention  par- 
ticularly to  natural  history,  may  form  a  tolerably  correct  idea 
of  the  reptiles  which  are  to  form  the  subject  of  the  following  re- 
marks, by  reference  to  the  Aligator  of  the  Southern  rivers,  as 
in  their  form  as  well  as  in  their  habit  they  resemble  these  extinct 
or  lost  saurians  of  the  Deep  and  Dan  river  rocks.  They  were 
not,  at  any  rate,  very  unlike  each  other  in  these  respects.  In 
the  smaller  details  of  the  construction  of  their  bodies  the}' 
differ  ;  but  still,  when  their  general  forms  are  compared,  they 
were  probably  as  much  alike  as  the  Aligator  of  our  Southern 
rivers  and  the  Gavial  of  the  east. 

The  first  discoveries  of  the  remains  of  these  extinct  rep- 


NOETH'CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVEY-  295 

tiles  of  the  order  termed  Thecodonts,  and  which  are  so  close- 
ly related  to  those  of  the  Deep  and  Dan  river  formations, 
was  made  by  Messrs.  Ryley  &  Scutchburg  in  a  rock  known 
in  England,  under  the  name  of  the  Bristol  conglomerate, 
whose  age  is  supposed  to  be  the  same  as  the  inferior  part  of 
the  Permian  system,  to  which  allusion  has  been  frequently 
made.  This  fact  seems  to  require  that  I  should  state  in  de- 
tail, some  of  the  characters  which  belong  to  these  remains,  in 
order  that  the  reader  may  be  put  in  possession  of  the  facts 
which  will  enable  him  to  form  his  own  conclusions  respect- 
iug  the  inferences  which  I  propose  to  draw  from  the  facts 
themselves;  for  their  truth,  or  correctness  of  the  inferences 
respecting  the  age  of  the  Deep  and  Dan  river  coal  measures, 
turns  mainly  upon  the  affinities  which  belong  to  the  fossil  re- 
mains of  the  Bristol  conglomerate,  and  those  I  have  discov- 
ered in  the  rocks  just  referred  to.  If  the  affinities  are  as  in- 
timate and  close  as  I  suppose,  then  my  inferences  respecting 
the  age  of  the  rocks  under  consideration  will  be  regarded  as 
nearly  parallel  with  those  of  the  Bristol  conglomerate,  and 
my  deductions  respecting  their  contemporariety,  will  be  re- 
garded with  favor.  We  may  not,  however,  expect  that  the 
reptiles  of  the  rocks  of  Deep  and  Dan  rivers  will  possess  a 
nearer  resemblance  than  to  furnish  strong  analogies,  that  is, 
it  cannot  be  expected  that  separated  as  the  formations  are,  a 
distance  of  three  thousand  miles,  that  these  reptiles  will  form 
one  species.  It  will  be  sufficient  to  sustain  my  deductions, 
provided  I  can  establish  a  close  analogy  between  them,  or 
that  there  is  a  close  family  resemblance. 

The  reptiles  of  the  Bristol  conglomerate,  (Eng.,)  belong  to 
two  distinct  genera,  the  Thecodontosaueus  and  the  Palseo- 
saurus.  These  genera  were  founded  by  their  discoverers  up- 
on the  characters  of  their  teeth,  and  the  mode  of  their  inser- 
tion or  attachment  to  the  jaw,  and  being  very  peculiar,  and 
differing  from  any  which  had  been  at  that  time  discovered, 
they  became  important  representatives  of  the  time  or  epoch 
of  their  creation.  I  therefore  extract  from  various  publica- 
tions, an  account  of  these  remains,  in  order,  as  I  have  already 
said,  of  putting  in  possession  of  the  reader  those  facts  which 


296  NOSTH-CAE-OLmA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

will  enable  him  to  make  the  j)roper  comparisons  between  the 
fossils  in  question. 

The  first  genus,  then,  and  which  was  called  Thecodonto- 
SAUEus,  was  founded  upon  the  structure  and  implantation  of 
their  teeth  in  the  jaw  in  distinct  alveoli,  or  sockets.  Prior  to 
the  discovery  of  this  peculiar  mode  of  attachment,  all  rep- 
tiles had  their  teeth  soldered  to  a  plate  or  parapet  of  the  outer 
face  of  the  jaw,  like  that  which  prevailed  in  fishes.  But  in 
this  extinct  genus,  the  inner  parapet  of  the  lower  jaw  is  near- 
ly as  high  as  the  outer  one,  and  the  teeth  are  arranged  in  a 
close  set  series,  slightly  decreasing  in  size  towards  the  poste- 
rior part  of  the  jaw.  Each  ramus  of  the  jaw  is  supposed  to 
have  been  furnished  with  twenty-one  conical  slender  teeth, 
which  were  compressed,  acutely  pointed,  and  finely  serrated 
with  the  serratures  directed  towards  the  apex  of  the  tooth. 

In  the  latter  respect,  it  resembled  the  genus  Hhopalodon  of 
G.  risher.  The  outer  surface  was  more  convex  than  the  in- 
ner, and  the  apex  was  slightly  recurved,  making  the  anterior 
edge  more  curved  than  the  posterior.  The  base  of  the  crown 
was  contracted,  and  the  fang  at  this  point  became  rounded, 
or  sub-cylindrical.  The  pulp  cavity  remained  open  in  the 
base  of  the  crown.  The  body  of  the  tooth  consists  of  com- 
pact dentine,  in  which  the  calcigerous  tubes  diverge  from  an 
open  pulp  cavity  at  nearly  a  right  angle,  to  the  surface  of  the 
tooth.  They  form  a  slight  curve  at  their  origin  with  the  con- 
cavity  directed  towards  the  base  of  the  tooth,  then  proceed 
straight,  and  at  the  periphery  bend  upward  in  a  contrary  di- 
rection. The  crown  of  the  tooth  is  invested  with  a  thin  coat 
of  enamel. 

Only  one  species  of  the  foregoing  described  genus  is  known^ 
the  T  antiquus.  The  most  important  parts  of  its  remains  con- 
sist of  a  ramus  of  the  lower  jaw  three-and-a-quarter  inches 
long,  and  one-and-a-half  in  the  greatest  depth,  consisting  of 
the  dental  bone  containing  twenty-one  teeth,  with  the  sub- 
angular  and  complimentary  bones.  The  teeth  resemble  a 
surgeon's  abscess  lancet,  being  acutely  pointed  and  flattened  ; 
the  middle  are  the  largest,  rising  above  the  alveoli  only  about 
one-fourth,  of  an  inch* 


N-OETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  29^ 

The  other  genus,  the  Pal^osaueus,  has  a  different  tooth, 
being  carinated,  lateraly  and  finely  serrated,  but  with  the 
serratures  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the  tooth,  instead  of 
being  directed  towards  the  apex,  as  in  the  former  genus. 
They  are  curved  and  slightly  compressed,  and  were  inserted 
into  the  jaw  in  distinct  alveoli,  or  sockets.  The  breadth,  as 
compared  with  the  height  or  length  of  the  tooth,  is  much 
greater  than  in  the  Thecodontosaurus. 

To  the  foregoing  account  I  propose  to  add  an  extract  from 
the  Eeport  of  Prof.  Owen,  at  the  eleventh  meeting  of  the 
British  Association,  which  contains  some  additional  matter 
respecting  both  genera,  which  is  both  interesting  as  well  as 
necessary,  for  a  full  understanding  of  the  characters  of  these 
reptiles ; — "  Their  vertebrae  are  biconcave,  with  the  bodies 
"  more  constricted  than  their  articular  ends,  and  deeper  than 
"  the  Teleosaueus  ;  but  they  are  chiefly  remarkable  for  the 
"depth  of  the  spinal  canal,  at  the  middle  of  each  vertebra, 
"  where  it  sinks  into  the  centrum ;  thus,  the  canal  is  wider 
"  vertically  at  the  middle  than  at  the  two  ends  ;  an  analogous 
"  structure  prevails  in  another  saurian,  the  Ehynchosaueus  of 
"  the  ]S[ew  Red  sandstone,  but  is  less  marked.  Besides  devi- 
"  ating  from  existing  lizzards  in  the  Thecodont  dentition,  and 
''  biconcave  vertebra,  the  ancient  saurians  of  the  Bristol  con- 
"  glomerate  also  differed  in  having  some  of  their  ribs  articu- 
"  lated  by  a  head  and  tubercle  to  two  surfaces  of  the  verte- 
"  bra,  as  at  the  anterior  part  of  the  chest  in  Crocodiles  and 
"  Dinosaurs.  The  shaft  of  the  ribs  were  traversed,  as  in  the 
"  Ichthyosaur  and  Rhyncosaur,  by  a  deep  longitudinal  groove, 
"  for  the  protection  of  the  blood-vessels.  Some  fragments  of 
"  bone  indicate  obscurely  that  the  pectoral  arch  deviated  from 
"  the  Croccodilian  and  approached  the  Lacertian  type  in  the 
"  presence  of  a  clavicle,  and  in  the  breadth  and  complicated 
"  form  of  the  Coracoid  bone.  The  humerus  appears  to  have 
"  been  but  little  more  than  half  the  length  of  the  femur,  and 
"  to  have  been  like  that  of  the  Rhyncosaurs  unusually  ex- 
"  panded  at  the  two  extremities.  The  tibia,  fibula  and  meta- 
"  tarsal  bones  manifest,  like  the  femur,  the  fitness  of  the  The 
"  codont  saurians  for  progression  on  land.     The  ungual  pha- 


298 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


'•  langes  a]*e  sub-compressed  and  curved  downwards,  pointed 
"  and  impressed  on  each   side  with  the  usual  curved  canals." 

The  most  important  facts  communicated  in  the  foregoing 
extract  on  the  peculiar  characters  of  the  vertebrse,  which  are 
represented  to  have  been  biconcave,  the  double  articulation 
of  the  ribs,  the  groove  beneath,  the  presence  of  a  clavicle, 
and  a  probable  complicated  coracoid,  and  particularly  the 
implantion  of  the  teeth  in  distinct  sockets.  These  are  impor- 
tant points  to  be  recollected  when  we  come  to  compare  with 
them  the  fossil  bones  of  Deep  river. 

The  first  discovery  which  was  made  in  this  country  of  anal- 
agous  saurian  remains,  was  by  our  distinguished  countryman 
and  naturalist,  Mr.  Isaac  Lea,  of  Philadelphia.  Several  frag- 
ments of  vertebrse  and  teeth  having  been  brought  to  light  in 
cutting  a  road  through  beds  of  conglomerate  in  the  town  of 
Upper  Milford,  Pa.  Mr.  Lea  undertook  this  investigation, 
w^hich  resulted  in  the  discovery,  that  they  were  Thecodont 
saurians  with  biconcave  vertebrae,  such  as  have  been  describ- 
ed, and  which  were  strictly  analogous  to  those  of  the  Bristol - 
conglomerate.  But  those  of  Milford,  Pa.,  seem  to  differ 
from  them  genericaly ;  and  hence,  Mr.  Lea  instead  of  refer- 
rmg  them  to  the  Palseosaurus,  found  it  necessary  to  construct 
a  new  genus  Avhich  he  has  named  Clepsisaurus,  in  allusion  to 
the  hour  glass  form  of  the  vertebrse.  This  genus  will  hereaf- 
ter be  found  to  bear  the  type  of  one  or  more  of  our  Deep 
river  species.  I  propose  merely  to  allude  to  this  discovery 
in  this  place.  I  shall  have  occasion  to  make  frequent  refer- 
ence to  it  hereafter ;  but  in  the  mean  time,  I  shall  take  up 
my  own  discoveries,  and  lay  before  the  reader  figures  and 
descriptions  of  these  reptile  remains,  beginning  with  the 
teeth. 


NORTH-CAEQLINA   GEOI-OGIOAL   SURVEY. 


299 


Fig.  B. 


The  first  series  of  teetli  belong,  I  believe,  to  the  Clepsisaii- 
Rus,  of  Lea,  figure  B.,  1,  2,  3,  4 ;  tlie  largest  of  which,  is  one 
inch  and  thirteen-sixteenths  of  an  inch  long,  and  three-eighths 
of  an  inch  wide  at  base.  It  projected  from  the  jaw  about  one 
inch  and  a  half.  The  base  contracted  when  it  entered  the 
socket,  and  where  it  is  usually  compressed  as  if  it  were  pinch- 
ed off;  showing,  that  it  was  hollow,  at  this  part  of  the  tooth. 
The  largest, tooth  is  bicarinate,  as  shown  in  the  annexed  trans- 
verse section  E.,  Fig.  ,  the  carina  dividing  the  tooth  into 
two  unequal  parts  :  Towards  the  tip,  the  carina  or  ridges 
become  serrate  with  the  serratures  standing  at  right  angles 
to  the  axis  of  the  tooth,  as  seen  in  Plate  5,  Fig.  3.  The  sur- 
face of  the  compact  dentine  is  covered  with  a  thin  enamel 
which  is  prone  to  scale  off  and  leave  the  dentine  smooth  and 
bare.  The  enamel  is  marked  by  fine,  rather  oblique  wrinkles, 
which  are  not  impressed  upon  the  dentine.  IN^o.  2.  of  this 
series.  Fig.  B.  has  the  same  characters,  but  for  a  fuller  illus- 


300  NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY. 

Fig.  21.  ti'ation,  I  annex  Fig.  22,  as  they  show  the 
peculiar  wrinkles  of  those  adjacent  to  the 
sharp  lateral  ridges  of  carina  of  the  tooth. 
There  is  a  fine  feathery  arrangement  here 
which  seems  to  be  characteristic  of  this  kind 
of  tooth.     JSTo.  2,  also  of  the  series  of  which 

/'*ffl  '(IIP  there  are  four,  shows  the  character  of  the 
w  wi||  dentition  in  the  existence  of  a  point  of  a 
young  tooth  entering  the  pulp  cavity  of  an 
old  one.  'No.  3  and  4  belong  evidently  to 
the  same  series,  being  smaller,  but  exhibiting 
the  same  markings  as  well  as  forms.  The  carinse,  however, 
are  less  distinct  than  in  the  larger  ones,  and  while  the  sharp 
ridge  may  be  present,  the  serratures  towards  the  base  become' 
obsolete,  but  are  more  distinct  towards  the  apex  of  the  tooth, 
or  upon  the  upper  half  of  the  crown.  These  teeth  are  beau- 
tiful and  glossy  on  the  outside,  when  not  in  contact  with  a 
rock  containing  sulphuret  of  iron.  This  substance  frequently 
destroys  the  tooth,  especially  when  it  enters  into  its  texture. 
In  this  case  it  is  impossible  to  preserve  them  by  external  ap- 
plications, and  in  the  end  they  split,  and  are  perfectly  de- 
stroyed. Others  seem  to  be  perfectly  carbonized,  and  though 
perfect  to  the  eye,  yet  are  so  brittle,  that  a  slight  blow  breaks 
them  transversely,  and  it  is  impossible  to  polish  them  down 
sufficiently  thin  to  obtain  a  knowledge  of  their  structure. 

The  teeth  represented  in  Fig.  B.  appear  to  have  belonged 
to  but  one  species,  and  probably  to  the  one  described  by  Mr. 
Lea  under  the  name  of  Clepsisaukus  Pennsylvajstius.  This 
opinion  is  founded  upon  the  form  and  markings  of  the  teeth 
and  their  insertion  into  the  jaw.  The  jaw  in  both  cases  was 
not  grooved  for  the  reception  of  the  teeth,  but  provided  with 
distinct  alveoli  or  sockets.  The  proof  of  this  fact  is  derived 
from  the  distinct  markings  near  the  base  of  the  crown,  which 
show  the  depth  to  which  the  tooth  was  implanted  in  the  jaw. 
This  mode  of  dentition  goes  to  show,  that  this  saurian  approx- 
imated the  alligator  as  has  been  suggested;  for  in  this  reptile 
we  find  the  teeth  implanted  in  separate  sockets,  and  the 
young  tooth  to  displace  the  old  one  by  entering  into  its  pulp 


.     :KrOETH-CAftOLI]SrA  geological   StJEVEY.  301 

cavity  represented  in  Fig,  2,  or  else  into  its  side  where  its 
pressure  creates  an  absorption,  and  the  final  formation  of  a 
round  or  oval  hcfle,  through  which  it  passes  into  the  pulp 
cavity.  It  is  also  probable  that  inasmuch  as  the  teeth  differ 
in  size,  the  place  of  insertion  of  the  jaw  of  the  Clepsisaurus, 
had  the  same  irregularity  as  that  we  now  perceive  exists  in 
the  Alligator.  The  first  and  largest  of  the  teeth  in  the  series 
B.  was  found  at  Farmville,  in  the  black  bituminous  slate.  It 
is  the  largest  I  have  seen,  and  it  differs  somewhat  from  the 
smaller  in  its  bicarination.  All  the  pits  along  the  whole  out- 
crop of  the  bituminous  shale,  furnish  teeth,  but  few  bones. 
They  are  common  at  Egypt  and  Farmville,  the  Taylor  plant- 
ation and  the  Gulf.  They  are  more  common  at  the  junction 
of  the  black  band  with  the  coal  seam.  I  have  also  found 
them  in  the  Dan  river  coal  field,  but  I  have  not  as  yet  in  the 
calcareous  shales  between  the  bituminous  beds,  above  or  be- 
low the  coal  seams.  These  teeth  remains,  seem  therefore, 
restricted  to  this  part  of  the  formation  ;  but  of  this,  I  can 
only  speak  of  the  discoveries  which  have  been  made  up  to 
this  time.  Certain  bones  of  saurians  have  been  found  in 
the  drab  colored  sandstones  which  lie  in  proximity  with  the 
carboniferous  shales,  but  as  they  have  not  been  accompanied 
•  with  teeth,  a  direct  comparison  cannot  be  instituted  between 
those  of  the  sandstones  and  those  of  the  black  slates.  Bones 
too,  as  Avill  be  seen  in  the  sequel,  have  been  obtained  in  the 
upper  marls  and  sandstones,  but  these  differ  in  form  and  size 
from  those  of  the  coal  series,  and  must  belong  to  saurians 
quite  different;  and  which  may  probably  turn  out  to  be  Lab- 
yrinthodonts  ;  but  these  too  are  unaccompanied  with -teeth. 

I  am  unable  with  certainty  to  connect  the  teeth  described 
in  the  foregoing  paragraphs  with  the  bones  of  the  skeleton  ; 
but  as  these  teeth  seem  to  be  identical  with  those  found  in 
connection  with  the  vertebra  at  Milford — Mr.  Lea's  Clepsi- 
saurus Pennsylvanius — it  may  be  regarded  as  highly  proba- 
ble that  this  series  of  four  teeth  belonged  also  to  a  skeleton 
whose  vertibrce  were  biconcave  and  constricted  in  the  middle, 
or  had  the  form  of  an  hour  glass.  In  consequence,  however,  of 
the  scarcity  of  information  upon  this  point,  I  prefer  regarding 


302 


NOKTH-CAUOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


these  of  Deep  river  provisionally  as  the  same  as  Mr.  Lea's 
found  at  Milford.  Its  name,  will  therefore,  be  the  same  as 
that  conferred  by  this  distinguished  naturalist. 

§  255.  The  saurian  remains  which  I  shall  next  describe,  are 
so  far  perfect,  that  I  am  able  to  show  the  relation  of  the  teeth 
to  the  skeleton,  or  to  certain  parts  of  it,  particularly  the  ver- 
tebra. They  will  be  found,  as  the  reader  will  see,  to  be  dif- 
ferent from  the  preceding,  not  so  much  in  the  actual  form  of 
the  tooth,  as  in  the  peculiar  plaits  of  the  enamel  as  well  as  of 
the  dentine  itself.  From  these  important  diiferences,  I  am 
disposed  to  regard  the  animal  to  which  they  belonged,  as  dif- 
fering generically  from  the  Clepsisaurus,  and  as  the  teeth  oc- 
curred in  connexion  with  the  vertebrse,  and  as  these  differ 
considerably  in  details  from  this  genus,  I  am  strengthened 
in  mj  belief  that  it  should  be  regarded  as  a  different  genus. 
In  accordance  with  this  belief,  therefore,  I  propose  for  it  a 
name  which  is  expressive  of  the  peculiar  external  appearance 
of  the  teeth  and  their  plaited  or  slightly  grooved  surface. 
Tlie  name  proposed  provisionally  is,  Kutiodon,  from  Rutis, 
plaits,  and  odous,  tooth. 

Fig.  a. 


These  teeth  are  represented  in  the  series  x\..,  1,  2,  3,  4,  .5. 
which  show  the  form  and  relative  size.  No  plaited  tooth  has 
been  found  as  large  as  the  largest  in  the  first  series. 


NoTB. — An  account  of  these  reptiles  of  the  Deep  river  formation  was  read  before 
Ihe  Albany  Institute  in  March,  1856 ;  but,  I  had  on  many  occasions  previously  eom- 
nBunicated  my  views  to  several  individuals  both  orally  and  in  writing. 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


303 


Of  the  latter,  the  largest  is  one  inch  and  three-eighths  lonj*, 
and  live-sixteenths  of  an  inch  in  diameter  at  the  base.  The  ex- 
ternal characters,  as  I  have  said,  differ  from  the  former  in 
having  plaits  or  iiutings  upon  their  surface  which  extend  to 
the  dentine  beneath.  The  enamel  is  superficiallj  wrinkled  as 
in  the  first  series,  but  more  so.  Laterally  the  tooth  is  marked 
on  one  side  with  a  sharp  ridge  or  carina,  and  in  th6  larger, 
faintly  on  the  other  side,  but  the  serrations  are  wanting.  The 
ridges  when  present  divide  the  tooth  into  two  unequal  parts. 
The  flutings  never  extend  to  the  apex  :  only  about  two-fifths 
of  the  crown  is  thus  ornamented  ;  the  rest  is  nearly  smooth. 
The  smallest  tooth  of  the  series  is  five-eighths  of  an  inch  in 
length  and  one-eighth  in  diameter.  Like  those  composing 
the  series  B.,  they  are  slightly  compressed,  some  more,  and ' 
others  less.  At  the  base  of  the  crown,  they  become  more 
rounded,  but  flattened  in  that  part  which  is  inserted  into  the 
jaw,  in  consequence  of  the  tooth  having  been  hollow.  When 
the  two  series  are  compared,  it  will  be  admitted  that  there 
are  important  differences  between  them,  which  however,  ap- 
pears in  a  more  striking  fight  when  the  individuals  are  placed 
side  by  side,  than  when  veiled  through  the  medium  of  figures 
and  descriptions.  Tliey  never  pass  into  each  other ;  the  pat- 
terns always  j-emain  distinct. 

^'■-  ^-  The  structure  of  the  fluted  teeth  is 

shown  in  Fig.  C.  The  calcigerous  tubes 
as  seen  under  the  microscope  start  from 
the  23ulp  cavity,  rise  a  Kttle  upward 
then  pass  to  the  outside  nearly  at  right, 
angles  to  the  axis  of  the  tooth,  turning 
a  little  upwards  as  they  approach  the 
enameled  covering.  There  is  seen,  al- 
so, light  belts  crossing  the  section,  as 
represented  in  the  accompanying  figure  ;  but  there  is  no  ar- 
rangement approaching  that  which  has  been  so  frequently 
illustrated  as  existing  in  the  Labyrinthodonts  of  the  'New  Ked 
sandstone.  This  conclusion  is  also  borne  out  by  the  structure 
or  outward  form  of  the  vertebra,  with  which  the  teeth  are 
associated. 


304 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 


Reference  having  been  made  to  the  form  of  the  accompa^ 
nying  vertebra,  1  propose  in  the  next  place  to  furnish  a  de' 
scription  of  them,  annexing  also  a  figure  of  one  of  the  most 
ilistinct  in  my  possession. 

Fi«-22.  This   vertebra    is    slightly 

compressed  obliquely  from 
its  articular  surfaces ;  its  pro- 
portions, however,  are  pre- 
served. It  is  biconcave  and 
its  concavities  rather  deep, 
and  bordered  by  a  broad 
rounded  ridge.  The  cen- 
trum or  body  is  compressed 
or  constricted,  M^'hich  gives 
it  the  hour  glass  form  of  the 
Clepsisaurus  and  Thecodon- 
tosaurus  of  the  Bristol  con- 
glomerate. Its  diameter 
through  the  centrum  from 
side  to  side,  is  only  seven- 
tiighths  of  an  inch,  and  one  inch  and  five-eighths  from  the 
upper  to  the  lower  edge. 

The  longest,  or  the  vertical  diameter  of  the  aflterior  or  ar- 
ticular surface,  is  one  inch  and  a  half;  the  transverse,  one 
inch  and  two-eighths  of  an  inch.  Its  form,  (articular  surface,) 
is  orate,  as  represented  in  Plate  7,  Fig.  4,  the  widest  part  be- 
ing the  lower  half. 

The  vertical,  or  greatest  diameter  of  the  anterior  articular 
surface  is  one  inch  and  seven-eights,  (1  in.  f).  The  trans- 
verse diameter  through  the  middle  is  one  inch  and  five- 
eighths,  (1  in.  -f).  The  difiPerence  is  owing  in  part  to  the  pro- 
tuberances seen  in  the  figure  towards  the  lower  side  of  the 
centrum.  Length  of  the  vertebra  one  inch  and  five-eighths, 
(1  in.  f).  In  this  vertebra  the  spinous  process  is  evidently 
l)roken  oif ;  but  in  a  mode  which  has  left  the  surfaces  com- 
paratively smooth.  Its  form,  particularly  its  constriction  in 
the  middle,  its  excavation  between  the  articular  ends  in  the 
line  of  the  spinal  marrow,  giving  to  the  latter  a  monilliforn) 


I'TOETH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  305 

■sliape,  its  biconcave  structure  atid  its  teeth  places  the  animal 
among  the  Thecodonts,  and  its  microscopic  structure  shows 
that  it  couJd  not  have  been  a  Labyrinthodont.  But  while  its 
type  is  saurian  it  cannot  escape  our  notice  that  it  also  departs 
but  slightly  in  certain  respects  from  the  ichthyic  type,  as  all 
fish  have  vertebra  which  are  strictly  biconcave,  and  the  junc- 
tion of  the  processes  to  the  body  of  the  vertebl-a  seem  to  be 
less  firm  than  in  others  related  to  this  family,  the  suture  re- 
maining distinct ;  in  consequence  of  which  the  processes  may 
be  separated,  as  in  the  young  of  the  mammiferous  class. 

The  neural  arch  being  broken  in  this  case,  the  groove  pro- 
tecting the  spinal  marrow  is  brought  to  view.  It  consists 
simply  of  two  sharp  ridges  of  bone  which  begin  at  about  half 
an  inch  from  the  articulating  border,  and  the  canal  widening 
towards  the  posterior  extremity,  it  becomes  about  one-fourth 
■of  an  inch  wide,  and  about  one-fifth  of  an  inch  deep. 

From  the  anterior  lower  half  of  the  centrum  there  rises  a 
rido;e  of  bone  which  terminates  on  the  eda:e  of  the  articular 
border,  in  a  rounded  protuberance  against  which  the  head 
of  a  rib  rested.  Beneath  the  compressed  body  or  centrum  it 
has  another  sharp  ridge  extending  from  one  articular  surface 
to  the  other. 

The  other  vertebrse  which  belonged  to  the  same  skeleton 
have  preserved  essentially  the  same  characters.  In  some  of 
these  there  is  exhibited  a  peculiar,  broad,  expanded  form  of 
the  articular  surfaces,  which  may  be  described  as  hell-form, 
only  the  concavities  are  too  shallow  to  admit  strictly  of  the 
comparison.  (See  plate  vi,  fig.  8.)  The  processes  of  these  ver- 
tebrae, as  usual,  are  broken,  having  been  imbedded  in  a  yield- 
ing or  compressible  bed  of  bituminous  coal.  The  two  verte- 
brae which  are  represented  here  in  juxtaposition  are  four 
inches  and  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  (4|-  in. ;)  greatest 
diameter,  two  inches  and  one-eighth,  (2|-  in.)  The  figure 
shows  also,  besides  the  vertebrae,  several  ribs  which  are  more 
or  less  crushed,  but  some  of  which  preserve  the  grooves  for 
the  transmission  of  blood  vessels.  At  the  lower  edge  of  the  fig- 
ure there  projects  the  end  of  a  spinal  process,  which  shows  itself 
©n  the  inferior  side  about  two  inches.  It  is  one  inch  and  three- 
20 


306  NORTH-CAEOLESrA   GEOLOGICAL  SURVEY. ' 

quarters  wide,  and  half  an  inch  thick  at  its  exposed  ex- 
tremity. Six  vertebrae  were  found  in  two  or  three  clusters, 
imbedded  in  the  lower  seam  of  coal  at  Farmville.  The  clus- 
ter contained  vertebrae,  ribs,  and  portions  of  the  sternal  arch, 
and  several  teeth,  whose  surfaces  were  plaited.  It  may 
therefore  be  inferred  that  the  teeth  belonged  to  this  skeleton, 
along  which  they  were  found,  inasmuch,  too,  as  no  other  kind 
than  these  were  found  along  with  it,  though  they  were  com- 
mon in  other  connections. 

Some  of  the  ribs  show  that  they  were  doubly  articulated, 
and  one  in  particular,  whose  inferior  surface  was  exposed, 
shows  a  wide,  shallow  groove  for  the  protection  of  blood  ves- 
sels and  nerves. 

Among  these  clusters  of  bones  I  found  in  one  mass  a  por- 
tion of  a  cranium,  which  I  have  referred  to  the  frontal  bone. 
There  are  no  curious  sculptures  or  markings,  as  is  sometimes 
the  case  in  cranial  bones  of  saurians  and  sauroid  fishes,  but 
simple  striae,  as  represented  in  plate  v,  fig.  5.  The  striations 
referred  to  seem'  to  be  common  to  all  the  bones  of  the  skele- 
ton, especially  the  ribs,  and  even  on  the  articular  surfaces  of 
the  vertebrfE  they  may  be  seen. 

§  256.  The  questions  which  may  be  properly  discussed  at 
this  stage  of  our  examination  of  these  remains,  would  proba- 
bly be,  are  they  known  to  the  scientific  world — or  have  they 
been  described,  and  is  there  any  doubt  respecting  the  family 
to  which  they  belong?  I  have  already  had  occasion  more 
than  once  to  refer  to  the  discovery  of  Mr,  Lea  and  to  his 
Clepsisaurus.  It  is  stated  that  this  genus  has  bi-concave  ver- 
tebrae and  a  constricted  centrum,  and  a  carinated  tooth  much 
resembling  the  first  described  series,  and  a  double-headed  rib. 
There  is,  therefore,  as  will  be  seen  by  reference  again  to  my 
descriptions,  a  close  relationship  between  those  of  Deep 
river,  Milford,  Pa.,  and  Bristol,  in  England.  They  form 
one  family,  or  a  group,  in  which  there  is  a  strong  family  re- 
semblance. They  all  belong  to  the  order  Lacertilia,  of  Owen, 
which  have  teeth  implanted  in  distinct  sockets,  forms  of  ver- 
tebrae and  ribs  alike.  When  we  compare  the  minor  details 
of  structure  and  of  form,  we  find  certain  dissimilarities  which 


NORTH-CAKOLINA   GEQLOGICAL    BUKVET.  307 

go  to  show  tliat  they  may  belong  to  different  genera,  as  is  the 
case  with,  the  Thecodontosaukus  and  Pal^osauetjs,  though 
found  together  in  the  same  bed.  The  teeth,  for  example,  in 
the  Rutiodon,  are  always  smaller,  but  more  especially  should 
it  be  observed  that  they  are  plaited,  while  those  described  by 
Mr,  Lea,  as  well  as  those  of  the  Bristol  conglomerate,  are 
smooth. 

In  Mr.  Lea's  saurian  the  diameter  of  the  articulating  sur- 
faces of  the  vertebrae  is  only  one  inch  and  six-tenths,  (1  6-10 
inches.)  In  the  Deep  river  saurian,  last  described,  it  is  rather 
Over  two  inches.  In  the  smallest  of  the  vertebrae,  however, 
the  diameter  is  about  the  same,  but  the  vertical  diameter 
through  the  middle  of  th<3  centrum  is  one  inch  and  seven- 
tenths,  (1  T-10  in.,)  while  in  Mr.  Lea's  it  is  only  one  inch 
and  one-tenth,  (11  10  in.)  Although  we  are  not  able  in  this 
case  to  compare  homologous  parts,  yet  I  think  there  can  re- 
main but  little  doubt  that  the  genera  are  different,  as  has  been 
laid  down.  But  though  there  may  remain  an  amount  of 
uncertainty,  still  I  believe  I  am  justified  in  regarding  the 
E.UTI0D0N  as  distinct,  and  hence  should  receive  also  its  speci- 
fic name,  and  hence  I  propose  Carolinensis,  which  will  be  a 
suitable  name  to  distinguish  it  farther  from  Mr.  Lea's  Clepsi- 
saurus  Pennsylvanicus.  There  can  be  no  objection  in  making 
a  provisional  distinction  by  name,  seeing  the  fossils  belong  to 
similar  formations  in  different  States.  It  enables  ns  to  speak 
of  them  without  circumlocution,  and  should  it  prove  that  the 
denomination  has  been  hasty,  the  synonims  are  not  likely  to 


Note. — Since  the  foregoing  was  written,  fragments  of  the  skull  of  a  saurian,  with 
beautifully  sculptured  surface,  have  been  fouud  at  Egypt.  As  the  simpler  striated 
skull  bone  must  have  belonged  to  the  Rutiodon,  it  is  possible  that  the  sculptured  one 
may  have  belonged  to  an  Archegosaurus  ;  it  cannot  be  a  Palseosaurus.  I  have 
to  add,  also,  that  since  the  foregoing  was  written,  Mr.  Lea  has  communicated 
to  me  the  fact  that  he  had  discovered  a  tooth  in  the  red  sandstone  formation  of  New 
Jersey,  the  locality  of  which  is  not  recollected,  and  which,  on  its  being  shown  me,  I 
recognized  as  one  which  belongs  to  the  last  series  of  five,  the  plaited  teeth  of  Beep  river, 
.  He  had  given  the  name  of  Centemodon,  from  Kentema,  awl,  and  odous,  tooth,  with 
the  specific  name,  sulcatus.  This  discovery  proves  the  existence  at  the  North  of  the 
two  genera  which  have  been  described.  Mr.  L.  has  communicated  his  discovery  to 
the  Society  of  Natural  History  of  Philadelphia. 


308  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    STJEVEl'. 

be  SO  far  multiplied  as  to  occasion  any  inconvenience.  Bui 
there  are  diiferences,  as  I  have  shown,  and  the  only  question 
which  can  arise  is  with  respect  to  the  genera,  and  whether 
they  belong  to  and  should  constitute  but  one.  If  it  should 
turn  out  that  they  constitute  but  one  genus ;  the  names  will 
stand  very  well  beside  each  other.  They  will  then  read 
Clepsisaueus,  Pennsylvanicus,  and  Carolinensis. 

§  257.  The  nearest  living  representative  in  our  country  of 
the  genera  Clepsisaurus  and  Rutiodon,  is'  the  Alligator,  so 
well  known  in  the  southern  part  of  ISTorth-Carolina.  But  the 
Alligator  has  a  diiferent  form  of  vertebrae.  The  articulating 
surfaces  are  concave  before  and  convex  behind ;  or,  in  the 
technical  phrase  often  employed,  the  ancient  Saurians  were 
AmjyhiGodian^  and  the  Alligators  are  prooodian  /  their  verte- 
brae being,  really,  ball  and  socket  joints. 

In  comparing  the  size  of  these  genera,  and  taking  the  skele- 
ton of  the  Alligator  as  the  standard,  one  which  is  eleven  feet 
long,  I  find  the  Eutiodon  must  have  been  both  longer  and 
larger.  Thus  the  vertical  diameter  of  a  dorsal  vertebra  of 
this  Alligator  is  only  one  inch  and  an  eighth  of  an  inch, 
(1  in.  1^,)  and  the  length  one  inch  and  five-eighths,  (1  in.  f). 
The  Butiodon  it  will  be  seen,  on  referring  to  the  measure- 
ments already  stated,  must  have  been  more  than  two,  proba- 
bly three  feet  longer  than  the  full  grown  Alligator  of  our 
rivers,  though  probably  the  Alligator  may  acquire  a  length  of 
fourteen  or  fifteen  feet.  We  have,  however,  no  positive  data 
as  it  respects  the  length  of  tlie  tail  and  of  the  neck,  as  no 
vertebrge  belonging  to  either  of  these  parts  have  been  found. 
The  relative  form  of  the  vertebrae  of  these  two  reptiles  was 
evidently  somewhat  diiferent;  thus,  the  transverse  diameter 
of  the  vertebrae  of  the  Aligator  is  greater  than  the  vertical, 
while  in  the  Eutiodon  the  vertical  diameter  is  the  greatest. 
This  fact  seems  to  indicate  a  greater  height  in  proportion  to 
the  leutrth  and  breadth.  In  the  size  of  the  teeth,  the  Alli- 
(xhyji'  is  H  xxiatcli  for  the  Eutiodon,  and,  like  the  former,  the 
i>se  is  as  variable,  while  generally  in  the  ancient  saurians  the 
faize  or  length  of  the  teeth  is  more  uniform. 

From  the  foregoing  facts,  we   may  infer  that  the  soil  of 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY.  309 

North-Carolina  lias  been  trod,  and  its  waters  have  swarmed 
with  reptiles  from  the  remotest  ages.  They  are  common  to 
all  the  formations,  from  the  Deep  river  coal  measures  down 
to  the  tertiary  beds,  and  they  are  still  the  formidable  inhabi- 
tants of  its  waters.  Those  which  I  have  from  the  tertiary 
are  considerably  larger  than  those  from  any  former  epoch,  or 
those  which  belong  to  the  present.     •  '  , 

While  engaged  in  the  examination  of  the  formations  upon 
the  Dan  river,  I  discovered  the  vertebral  remains  of  another 
saurian,  closely  allied  to  those  already  described.  They  were 
imbedded  in  the  black  slate  near  Leaksville,  at  a  point  near 
the  bridge  over  Smith's  river.  This  part  of  the  formation,  it 
is  now  well  known,  is  between  the  red  sandstones,  and  is  very 
near  the  coal  seams.  These  remains  are  more  perfect  in  some 
respects  than  those  which  have  been  discovered  upon  Deep 
river,  at  Farmville.  Three  of  these  vertebras  are  delineated 
upon  plate  8,  Fig.  1.  It  will  be  observed  that  these  are  also 
biconcave,  or  belong  to  the  Amphicoelian  type,  and  have  the 
hourglass  form  of  vertebrae ;  that  they  have  two  articulating 
aurfaces  for  a  double  headed  rib,  that  their  processes  are  unit- 
ed to  the  body  by  suture.  In  the  union  of  the  process  by 
■suture,  and  in  the  existence  of  two  articulating  surfaces  for  a 
double  headed  rib,  Plate  8,  Fig.  3,  we  see  the  same  arrange- 
ments as  now  exist  in  the  Alligator.  As  these  vetebrse  have 
lost  only  a  part  of  their  spinous  processes,  they  are  proper 
parts  for  comparison  and  measurement.  I  obtained  the  fol- 
lowing dimensions  of  the  vertibrse  under  consideration : 

Vertiealdiametei  of  the  posterior  articulating  surface,  1  inch  and  J-^  of  an  inch. 

Transverse  diameter, 1  "        ^  " 

Length  of  body, .• 1  "        %  " 

Height  of  body  and  spinous  process, 4  "        %  " 

Width  of  spinous  process, %  ,  " 

Distance  of  the  articulating  surface  of  the  head  of  the 
rib  to  the  upper  part  of  the  articulating  surface  of 

the  oblique  process,  ■ 2  "        J^  " 

The  body  of  each  vertebrae  is  traversed  longitudinally  by 
three  ridges,  two  lateral  and  one  inferior :  concave  surfaces 
bound  these  ridges,  or  they  may  be  regarded  as  longitudinal 


310 


NOETH-OAKOLIN-A   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 


depressions.  These  vertebrae  are  strong  and  rough^  and  the 
spinous  processes  wide  and  high,  more  so  relatively  than  the 
homologous  parts  of  the  Alhgator.  To  the  eye,  there  is  the 
same  disproportion  between  the  articular  ends,  as  in  the  ver- 
tebrae of  the  Eutiodon.  The  anterior  articulating  surface  is 
the  smallest.  In  the  fine  specimens  figured,  the  rock  will 
not  permit  the  measurement  of  bone  so  as  to  verify  what  is 
apparent  to  the  eye. 

Frj.  m. 


NOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  311 

Another  dorsal  vertebra  of  this  series,  Fig.  M.,  the  spinous 
process  of  which  is  nearly  perfect,  has  the  following  dimen- 
sions : 

Vertical  diameter  of  the  anterior  articulating  surface,  1  inch  and  %  of  an  inch. 


1. 


a 


Transverse, 1  ' 

Vertical  diameter  of  the  concavity, 1  "        1-16  " 

Transverse,    %  " 

Distance  from  the  lower  edge  of  the  vertebras  to  the 

end  of  the  spi  nal  process, 4  "        J^  " 

Width  of  the  spinal  process  near  its  base, 1  "        00  " 

Width  at  the  top, %  " 

"Depth  of  the  concavity 6-16  " 

The  anterior  edge  of  the  spinal  process  of  this  vertebrae  is 
grooved,  and  the  posterior  edge  is  provided  with  a  sharp 
ridge. 

Another  dorsal  vertebra  of  this  series,  measures  from 
the  upper  edge  of  the  articulating  surface  of-  the 
centrum  to  the  top  of  the  spinal  process, 3  inch,  and  ^  of  an  inch. 

From  the  end  of  the  transverse  process  to  the  top  of 
the  spinal  process, 3  "        H  " 

Length  of  the  transverse  process, 1  "        y^         " 

From  the  inside  of  the  ridge  surrounding  the  concavi- 
ty to  the  outer  articulating  surface  of  the  oblique 
process, 1  "        5-16       " 

This  vertebra  is  anterior  in  the  spine  to  those  referred  to 
in  Plate  8,  Fig.  1 ;  but  its  exact  position,  or  its  number,  I  am 
unable  to  determine. 

The  Leaksville  series  contain  fourteen  pieces,  more  or  less 
perfect;  and  all  appear  to  be  dorsal. 

Among  these  vertebrae  are  fragments  of  ribs,  one  of  which, 
minus  the  head  and  neck,  is  six  inches  long.  It  is  rounded 
at  the  proximal  extremity,  and  flattened  at  the  distal  end, 
where  it  is  1^  of  an  inch  wide.  The  inner  edge  is  grooved. 
From  being  nearly  round  at  the  proximal  end,  it  first  be- 
comes somewhat  triangular,  and  then  flat  and  expanded, 
sending  off  on  one  side  near  its  extremity  an  oblique  flat- 
tened branch,  which  joins  its  fellow  rib  below,  something 
like  the  plan  which  prevails  in  birds.  The  whole  length  of 
the  rib  was  probably  7^  inches.  This  rib  is  about  half  an 
inch  thick  at  the  proximal  extremity. 


312  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

The  question  whicli  it  is  important  for  us  to  determine 
is,  wKether  the  Leaksville  Saurian  is  identical  with  on© 
or  the  other  of  those  which  have  been  already  described. 
"While  it  is  true  that  we^  are  yet  deficient  in  information  re- 
specting certain  parts  of  the  skeleton  to  enable  us  to  satisfy 
the  demands  of  the  question,  still  we  may  avail  ourselves  of 
all  the  facts  within  our  reach ;  and  probably  this  course  may 
give  us  something  which  will  be  a  clue  to  a  correct  de- 
termination which  we  require,  and  enable  us  to  form  at  least 
a  rational  conjecture.  For  this,  I  propose  to  compare  the 
parts  of  each  species  with  one  another,  and,  in  the  first  place, 
I  will  take  the  Clepsisaurus  for  comparison  'with  the  Leaks- 
ville specimen.  The  measurements  of  Clepsisaurus  which 
bear  immediately  upon  the  question,  are  the  distance  from 
the  centrum  to  the  top  of  the  vertebral  spine,  etc.: 

1.  The  measurement  is, ..   2  inch,  and  1-5  of  an  inch. 

2.  Length  of  vertebraj , 2  "        1-10      "    ■■ 

3.  Vei'tical  diameter  of  the  constricted  part, 1  00 

4.  Transverse, 8-10      " 

5.  Length  of  the  transverse  process, 2  GO 

In  the  Leaksville  saurian, 

1.  The  height  from  the  centrum  to  the  top  of  the  spi- 

nal processjis, 3  inch,  and  3^  of  an  inch. 

2.  Length  of  vertebrae, ,... 1  "        %  " 

Tliese  measurements  dift'er ;  and  of  the  fourteen  vertebrce 
from  Leaksville,  none  of  their  measurements  agree  with  those 
of  the  Clepsisaurus. 

The  length  of  one  transverse  process,  is  one  and  an  eighth  of 
an  inch.  The  length  of  this  process  in  the  C.  Pennsylvanicus, 
as  will  be  seen,  is  two  inches  ;  but  this  is  variable,  and  we  caur 
not  afiirm  that  we  are  measuring  homologous  parts.  There  be- 
ing however,  considerable  diflference  in  the  relative  propor- 
tions of  parts,  it  must  appear  probable  that  the  Leaksville 
and  Milford  saurians  are  different,  or  belong  to  different  spe-r 
cies,  admitting  that  the  individuals  were  adults ;  and  admit- 
ting that  one  of  them  was  an  immature  individual,  we  should 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  313 

have  a  right  to  expect  that  the  proportions  would  tally  more 
closely.  The  probability  is,  when  the  character  of  the  bones 
are  considered,  we  need  entertain  scarcely  the  shadow  of  a 
doubt  but  that  both  individuals  were  mature,  especially  when 
the  teeth  are  taken  into  the  account ;  that  is,  when  the  teeth 
and  bones  of  the  C.  Pennsylvanicus  are  brought  together, 
there  can  remain  scarcely  a  doubt  that  this  belonged  to  an 
adult  individual ;  and  as  this  is  the  smallest  of  the  two,  little 
doubt  should  be  entertained  respecting  the  Leaksville  speci- 
men. The  difference  in  the  proportion's  of  these  species  is 
considerable ;  and  as  proportions  are  the  most  reliable  char- 
acters for  the  determination  of  questions  of  this  kind,  I  shall 
regard  them  as  belonging  at  least  to  different  species.  It 
seems  probable  from  the  proportions  which  have  been  obtain- 
ed by  measurement,  that  the  Leaksville  saurian  was  higher 
than  the  Milford,  the  latter  was  also  lower  and  broader  of  the 
two. 

We  may  now  compare  the  Leaksville  with  the  Deep  river 
saurian. 

The  only  points  of  comparison  which  lie  within  our  reach, 
must  be  drawn  mainly  from  the  vertebrge  and  its  appendages. 
As  to  the  height  of  the  spine,  the  Leaksville  is  the  highest, 
and  the  vertebrae  comparatively  more  slender.  The  teeth 
which  have  been  found  in  the  Dan  river  slates,  resemble 
those  of  the  Clepsisaurus,  but  no  teeth  occurred  in  connec- 
tion with  the  bones  :  we  are  left  in  ignorance  respecting  these 
important  organs.  Upon  the  whole,  I  am  disposed  to  regard 
it  as  differing  only  specifically  from  the  Clepsisaurus :  I  pro- 
pose for  the  Leaksville  saurian  the  specific  name,  Leai,  out 
of  respect  for  the  high  standing  of  the  discoverer  of  the  first 
of  the  Thecodont  saurians  in  this  country. 

We  may  before  we  leave  this  subject,  sum  up  the  charaC' 
ters  upon  which  each  of  the  foregoing  species  and  genus  now 
stand.  In  the  first  of  the  discovered  genera,  the  Clepsisaurus, 
the  charactei'istics  were  derived  from  the  teeth.  They  differed 
both  from  the  Thecodontosaurus  and  Palseosaurus  of  Riley 
and  Scutchbury,  while  it  resembles  them  in  the  biconcave 
form  of  the  vertebrae,     The  Clepsisaurus  could  not  harmonize 


"^ 


314  NOETH-CAEOLESTA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

witli  the  genera  which  had  been  established  ;  hence  the  ne- 
cessity of  founding  a  new  one  for  the  reception  of  the  one 
discovered  in  this  country.  In  subsequent  discoveries  of 
similar  types  in  our  formations,  it  becomes  necessary  to 
make  the  comparisons  with  all  the  genera  which  have  been 
established.  In  comparing,  therefore,  the  Rutiodon  with 
known  genera,  it  is  found  that  the  outward  form  and  structure 
also  of  the  teeth,  differed  from  any  which  had  been  previous- 
ly described.  It  was  in  consequence  of  these  differences,  that 
I  have  ventured  to  propose  the  genus  referred  to.  The  facts 
respecting  the  Leaksville  saurian,  it  is  evident,  do  not  wholly 
clear  up  the  question  as  to  genus ;  though  it  is  quite  plain 
from  its  proportions,  that  it  cannot  agree  specifically  with  the 
Clepsisaijeus  or  Eutiodon  ;  but  to  which  of  these  genera  it 
actually  belongs,  cannot  be  decided  before  ,we  obtain  more 
information  respecting  its  teeth.  I  have  supposed  it  more 
probable  that  it  is  a  Clepsisaurus,  as  teeth  belonging  to  this 
genus  have  been  found  in  the  slates  of  Dan  river,  and  none 
which  belong  to  the  Rutiodon. 

§  258.  If  the  foregoing  statements  and  conclusions  are 
founded  in  principles  of  Natural  History,  we  have  three  spe- 
cies of  Thecodont  saurians  existing  cotemporaneously,  whose 
remains  were  entombed  in  the  slates  of  the  coal  measures  of 
Deep  and  Dan  rivers.  It  will  be  seen  that  they  are  found  in 
a  well-defined  geological  horizon ;  hence  their  remains  be- 
come available  for  the  purpose  I  have  used  them — that  of  de- 
fining the  age  of  this  series  of  deposits.  Tlie  remains  of  the 
Clepsisaurus  Pennsylvanicus  seems  to  be  farther  removed  from 
this  horizon  than  either  of  the  three  species  belonging  to 
North  Carolina.  The  epoch  of  the  conglomerate  in  which 
they  are  embedded,  may  be  near  the  beginning  of  the  Per- 
mian system,  or  later;  the  deposits  at  and  near  Milford,  Pa., 
are  not  so  clearly  defined  as  those  of  North  Carolina.  In 
view  of  all  the  facts  presented,  it  seems  I  am  justified  in 
expressing  the  opinion  that  the  older  sandstone  and  coal 
measures  are  correctly  located  in  the  Permian  system.  I 
have,  however,  still  more  testimony  which  supports  this  opin- 
ion, and  I  shall  now  proceed  to  lay  before  the  reader  this  tes- 


NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 


315 


tirnony  which  is  contained  in  another  discovery  of  saurian  re- 
mains approximating  closely  to  the  Pal^eosaiteus  platyodon, 
found  in  the  Bristol  conglomerate,  and  which  has  been 
already  referred  to.  These  remains  are  better  known  by  the 
teeth,  which  are  compressed  and  serrate,  with  the  seraturea 
standing  at  right  angles  to  the  axis  of  the  tooth.  ISTow  the 
teeth  are  the  only  organs  which  I  have  found,  but  these  agree 
so  well  with  the  figures  of  those  of  the  Palseosaurus  that  no 
one  can  doubt  of  their  being  generically  related.  The  annexed 
Fig.  f.  three  figures,  showing  the   tooth  in 

different  positions,  will  convey  a  cor- 
rect idea  of  the  form  of  the  Palseo- 
saurus  tooth.  Fig.  1,  side  view,  but 
too  narrow  at  base ;  ISTo.  2  is  an  edge 
view,  showing  that  though  apparent- 
ly quite  flat  when  its  broad  planes 
^-  2.  ».       are   seen,   that   it    has   considerable 

thickness  ;  fig.  3,  enlarged,  shows  the .  serratures  of  the  edge. 
A  corrected  outline  of  the  shape  of  this  tooth  is  given  in 
Fig.  G.I    Kg.  Gr.     'No.  1  is  an  exact  outline  of  its  form.     'No. 
2  represents  its  transverse  section  at  its  junction 
with  the  jaw.     It  is  bicarinate ;  serrate  on  both  sides 
from  its  base  to  the  apex.     The  tooth   is  lancet- 
shaped,  being  compressed,  but  the  crown  becomes 
thicker  towards  the  base,  especially  on  one  side, 
2.  f~\     whence  its  transverse  section  is  obliquely  gibbous. 
—      The  serratures  are  not  simply  notches  in  the  edge, 
like  those  of  a  saw,  but  impressions  which  extend  beyond  the 
edge  into  the  margin  of  the%namel.     The  outer  face  of  the 
tooth  is  more  convex  than  the  inner,  and  the  anterior  edge 
also  the  most  convex  of  the  two.     Below  the  enamel  the 
tooth  is  slightly  constricted,  perhaps  only  apparently  so  by 
the  discontinuance  of  the  enamel,  which  is  rather  thick  and 
strong,  and  adheres  firmly  to  the  dentine,  and  at  the  place 
where  the  tooth  enters  the  socket  it  is  nearly  cylindrical.  The 
calcigerous  tubes,  as  seen  under  the  microscope,  ascend  a  lit- 
tle from  the  pulp  cavity,  and  then  pass  off  at  right  angles  to 


816 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   STJEVET. 


FiG.H.  the  axis  of  the  tooth.     Fig,  H.  represents 

the  appearance  of  the  calcigerons  tubes 
under  the  magnifying  power  of  350 
diameters.  Tlie  following  dimensions  of 
the  tooth  will  convey  a  more  accurate 
jjf  idea  of  its  form  and  characters  than  can 
be  obtained  by  description  alone : 

Length,  }^  inch. 

Width  at  base,  5-16     " 

Thickness  at  base,      }^     " 

The  inner  face,  adjacent  to  the  edge,  has  a  flat  groove,  or 
rather  the  tooth  becomes  flattened,  or  is  brought  to  an  edge 
rapidly,  and  which  is  rather  thin,  as  if  an  edge  was  made  by 
scooping  out  a  piece  longitudinally  from  a  cylinder  by  a  small 
gouge.  The  tooth  appears  quite  flat  when  imbedded  in  slate, 
and  in  this  relation  it  has  the  exact  form  of  the  Palceosaurus 
tooth  figured  by  Sir  Charles  Lyell,  in  his  Elements.  P.  306, 
fig.  348. 

A  small  tooth  belonging  to  the  genus  Pal- 
I  seosaurus  has  the  following  proportions  and 
'    dimensions  :  (Fig.  I.)  No.  1. 

Length,  5-16  of  an  inch  ;  breadth  at  base, 
nearly  ^  of  an  inch ;  thickness,  3-16  of  an 
3  12    inch. 

]^o.  2  shows  the  serratures  as  they  appear  on  both  edges 
of  the  tooth  enlarged.  The  smallest  tooth  which  has  fallen 
under  my  notice,  is  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long ;  it  preserves 
in  its  measurements  the  propor^ons  of  those  which  have  been 
already  given.  There  is,  therefore,  no  doubt,  but  that  these 
flattened,  bi-carinate  teeth,  belong  to  one  species  of  saurian, 
though  they  differ  in  size.  From  the  foregoing  figures  and 
descriptions,  it  will  no  doubt  be  admitted,  that  the  genua 
represented  by  them,  dijffers  generically  from  the  Rtjtiodon 


Fig.  I. 


Note. — The  tooth  No.  3,  fig.  I,  belongs  to  the  Rutiodon.  It  is  one  of  the  smaller 
fluted  teeth,  but  is  a  good  figure  of  this  kind,  showing  very  clearly,  the  difference 
between  the  Clepsisaurus  and  the  Rutiodon. 


KOETH-CAKOLIKA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  317 

and  Clepsisaurus.  ~   The  form,  and  especially  the  structure  of . 
the  teeth  is  very  different.     They  have  no  resembance  to  the 
Labyrinthodonts  of  the  l^ew  Red  sandstones.      The  other 
genus,   the    Thecodontosaueus,  with  compressed  teeth,  the 
serratures  point  to  the  apex  of  the  teeth. 

When  these  compressed  teeth,  therefore,  are  compared 
with  those  of  the  PALEeosAUKUS,  a  genus  established  by  Riley 
and  Scutchbury,  it  is  difficult  to  resist  the  conviction,  that  our 
Saurian  is  closely  related  to  it.  The  figures  of  the  teeth, 
however,  do  not  give  all  the  information  respecting  them, 
which  is  necessary  for  an  exact  determination  ;  but  as  far  as 
they  go,  they  sustain  the  opinion  I  have  expressed  of  their 
generic  affinity.  I  should  infer  from  the  figures  of  the  3?al- 
geosaurian  teeth  that  they  were  thinner  than  ours,  while  the 
latter  must  be  shorter  and  stouter  ;  those  of  the  Bristol  con- 
glomerate being  nine  lines  long  and  five  wide..  These  pro- 
portions do  not  differ  from  those  of  Deep  river. 

From  the  foregoing  facts,  I  am  disposed  to  regard  the  teeth 
imder  consideration,  as  belonging  to  the  Paleeosaur,  but  dif- 
fering specifically  fi-om  that  of  the  Bristol  conglomerate.  I 
propose  naming  it  Pal^osadeius  Oaeolinensis,  as  Korth-Car- 
olina.is  the  only  State  in  which  these  remains  are  found.  Of 
its  vertebrae  we  are  yet  ignorant ;  but  I  am  disposed  to  be- 
lieve that  the  fragments  of  its  cranium  may  yet  be  found  at 
Egypt. 

§  259.  There  is  still  another  kind  of  tooth  which  I  am  un- 
able to  refer  to  any  species  which  has  been  described. 

Its  form  reminds  one  at  once  of  the  Palseosaur, 
but  an  attentive  examination  of  its  character  will 
convince  any  one  that  it  differs  from  the  foregoing 
species.  Fig.  l!^.  are  outline  figures;  'No.  1  shows 
the  curvature  of  the  tooth,  and  2  the  form  of  the 
transverse  section  near  the  base  of  the  crown. 

O 


318  NOBTH-CAEOLINA   aEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 


Pig.  (No.  3,)  sliows  tlie  convex  fluted  surface;  the 
flutings  liowever,  are  somewhat  irregular,  but  are 
not  to  be  regarded  as  accidental.  Fig.  JSTo.  4, 
shows  the  serratures  of  one  edge ;  those  of  the  op- 
posite edge  are  obsolete,  and  exist  only  faintly  to- 
wards the  apex  of  the  tooth.  The  figures  are,  of 
the  natural  size. 

The  following  measurements  show  the  relative 
proportions  between  their/length  and  breadth  : 


4. 


Length  rather  greater  than J^  of  an  inch. 

Breadth  at  base 5-16     "  \  '• 

Thickness,  rather  exceeds ^    "        " 

The  foregoing  description  and  figures  of  teeth,  prove  that 
the  length  ana  breadth  differ  from  the  P.  Carolinensis,  and 
that  their  proportions  also  differ ;  2.  that  the  transverse  sec- 
tion is  diff'erent,  and  3,  that  the  serratures  exist  principallj'"  on 
one  edge ;  that  though  the  transverse  section  is  gibbous,  yet 
it  is  not  obliquely  so.  It  is  therefore  specifically  diflferent 
from  that,  or  appears  to  be.  The  texture  of  teeth,  and  the 
character  of  the  enamel  also  appears  different ;  it  is  less  com- 
pact and  the  enamel  is  thinner ;  and  hence,  so  far  as  my  dis- 
coveries go,  they  appear  to  warrant  the  establishment  of  a 
species,  and  I  therefore,  propose  the  specific  name,  Sulcatus^ 
from  the  furrows  upon  the  convex  face  of  the  tooth,  when  it 
will  stand,  Pal^osaueus  Stjlcatfs. 

Prom  the  foregoing  determinations,  (which  may  be  re- 
garded as  provisional,)  it  cannot  fail  to  strike  the  person  who 
is  conversant  with  the  discoveries  in  palfeontology,  that  this 
period  was  rich  in  the  Thecodont  saurians,  and  that  they 
characterize  the  Permian  as  clearly  as  the  Ichthysaurus  and 
Pleisiosaurs  do  the  Liassic  epoch ;  and  so  far  as  discoveries 
now  warrant,  our  conclusions  are  sustained  that  they  are 
probably  confined  to  the  Permian  epoch. 

§  260.  Of  the  Bones  found  in  the  Gray  Sandstone. — In 
Germanton,  I  found  a  cluster  of  bones  belonging  to  a  saurian 
in  close  proximity  to  the  coal  slates,  but  beneath  them. 
Those  which  I  regard  as  the  most  important,  consist  of  a 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEpLOGICAL    SUE^^T.  319 

femur  and  tibia ;  both,  lioweverj  imperfect.  There  were 
many  small  bones  more  or  less  mutilated,  and  hence,  too 
imperfect  for  determination  ;  but  what  was  quite  as  unfortu- 
nate for  the  bones  and  my  discovery,  was  that  the  rock  itself 
had  become  concretionary,  and  was  quite  refractory  in  break- 
ing, being  both  tough  and  massive.  The  large  bones  refer- 
red to,  are  represented  on  Plate  7,  Fig  1,  2.  These  bones, 
though  not  properly  mineralized,  yet  they  seem  to  have  un- 
dergone a  change  in  structure.  Parts  of  the  more  compact 
bones  are  crystalline  and  brittle,  and  hence  the  difficulty  of 
exposing  them  in  their  matrix  is  increased.  The  tissue  of  the 
bones  is  fine  and  close ;  color  black,  except  where  they  have 
been  long  exposed  to  the  weather. 

The  femur,  Plate  7,  Fig.  1,  is  broken  towards  the  proximal 
extremity ;  but  the  outline  of  the  head  is  imprinted  in  the 
roek,  and  portions  of  the  bone  remain  in  situ.  The  distal  ex- 
tremity is  removed  just  above  the  condyles. 

The  tibia  has  two  gentle  curves,  but  its  extremities  are 
marred,  and  a  large  notch  is  broken  out  of  the  front  of  the 
condyles.  A  side  view  presents  somewhat  the  shape '  of 
letter  S, 

The  preserved  portions  have  furnished  me  with  the  follow- 
ing measurements : 

Femur.    Length  preserved, 7,  00  inches. 

Distance  across  the  proximal  end,  including  a  part  of 

the  head, 3  inch,  and  3^  of  an  inch. 

Diameter  of  the  bone  four  inches  from  the  head, 1  "        %  " 

Thickness  rather  greater  than, '. .  %  " 

The  form  of  the  cylinder  of  bone,  or  its  transverse  section, 
is  represented  on  Plate  7,  Fig.  5.  This  flattening  or  com- 
pression appears  to  have  been  natural,  and  not  due  to  me- 
chanical pressure  in  the  rock.  At  the  point  where  it  is  bro- 
ken, it  begins  to  widen;  the  fracture,  therefore,  is  just  above 
the  condyles.  It  was  probably  nine  or  ten  inches  long  when 
perfect. 

The  tibia  is  more  broken,  though  the  general  form  appears 
to  be  preserved.     It  is  thick  through  the  condyles,  and  be- 


320'  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

gins  to  form  a  curve  as  it  passes  down  towards  the  middle  of 
the  bone ;  and  the  curve  exists  at  the  distal  extremity. ' 
I  have  the  following  dimensions  ; 

Length  of  the  tibia, 10  inch,  and  J^  of  an  inch. 

Breadth  across  the  condyles, 2  "        }£  " 

Diameter  below  the  condyles, 1  "       ^         " 

A  metatarsal  bone?  is  figured,  Plate  6,  Fig.  3.  Several  de- 
tached ones  were  found  in  the  rock,  its  surface  is  striated. 

All  the  small  bones  are  black  and  crystalline,  and  extreme- 
ly brittle.  I  was  unable  to  discover  in  this  mass  of  bones 
any  teeth  or  vertebrae,  and  hence  it  is  impossible  to  deter- 
mine whether  they  belong  to  the  Thecodont  Saurians,  with 
biconcave  vertebrae,  or  not.  The  size  of  these  bones  belong 
evidently  to  a  larger  individual  than  any  which  I  have  de- 
scribed. Kone  of  the  bones  are  provided  with  medularj 
cavities;  or  those  cavities  are  wanting  where  the  bones  are 
broken, 

A  remarkable  cluster  containing  sixteen  curved  bones,  five 
inches  long,  and  from  one-fourth  to  one-half  of  an  inch  thick, 
was  found  in  this  group  in  the  sandstone.  They  are  black, 
compact,  and  disposed  to  break  into  oblique  prisms.  The 
first  impression  they  convey  is,  that  they  are  short  ribs. 
They  taper  towards  both  extremities,  and  are  neither 
provided  with  tubercles  or  heads,  or  any  process.  They 
are  flattened  on  one  side,  and  rounded  and  striated  lon- 
gitudinally on  the  others. 

I  speak  of  them  in  this  place,  more  for  the  purjDose  of  di- 
recting the  attention  of  geologists  to  these  singular  bones, 
than  for  the  purpose  of  describing  them  in  detail ;  in  hopes 
thereby  that  some  one  more  fortunate  than  myself  may  yet 
discover  other  facts  which  will  throw  some  light  uj>on  .their 
position  in  the  skeleton. 

The  metatarsal  bones,  I  should  remark  before  leaving  the 
subject,  is  nearly  straight. 

Several  other  bones  were  discovered  at  this  place,  but  as 
they  are  imperfect,  I  omit  for  the  present  a  farther  notice  of 
them. 


-rS-'  y'^H 


SOKTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL  SUEVEY.  321 

Class  P18CE8,  OR  Fisp. 
The  remains  of  fish  are  numerous  in  the  black  bituminous 
slates.  They  consist  entirely  or  almost  so  of  small  shining 
rhombic  scales,  and  belong  to  the  ganoid  order.  A  few  parts 
of  the  fins  rarely  occur.  Uones  also  of  the  head,  and  in  one 
ease,  a  temporal  bone,  about  four  inches  long,  was  taken  from 
the  Egypt  shaft.  When  I  found  the  mass  of  slate  to  which  it  was 
attached,  it  had  so  far  disintegrated  that  on  lifting  it,  though 
carefully,  it  fell  into  many  pieces,  and  the  relict  was  de- 
stroyed. The  fish,  which  seemed  to  have  swarmed  in  those 
days,  after  dying,  were  completely  broken  up  by  decay,  leav- 
ing nothing  except  the  harder  bones  and  the  scales.  The 
fish  scales  appear  in  the  upper  beds  of  slate,  but  I  have  never 
observed  any  in  the  sandstones  below  or  above. 
Fig.  p.  The  next  most  common  remains  to  the  fish-scale  is  a 
defensive  bone,  probably  belonging  to  that  kind  usu- 
ally called  Ichthyodolerite.  The  annexed  figure  P 
shows  its  size  and  form.  Like  the  scale,  it  is  confined 
apparently  to  the  bituminous  slate. 

It  belongs  to  the  front  part  of  the  dorsal  fin   of 
the   genus  catopterus,   Eedfield,  or  Ischypterus  of 
Sir  P.  G.  Edgerton.     But  as  it  has  not  been  discov- 
ered in  connection  with  the  fin,  I  am  under  the  ne- 
cessity  of  expressing  myself  doubtfully  respecting  the 
genus  to  which  it  should  be  referred.     In  the  genus 
Ischypterus  I  have  not  been  able  to  discover  in  the  fin 
itself  a  line  of  demarcation  through  which  the  front  part  could 
be  detached  and  leave  it  as  perfect  and  distinct  as  it  is  usually 
found. 

There  are  evidently  two  kinds  of  fish  teeth  in  the  Deep 
river  slate ;  one  slender  and  terete  like  the  point  of  a  needle, 
and  slightly  flattened  at  the  larger  end.  It  is  rather  more 
than  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  and  scarcely  ever  exceeds 
one-fourth. 

The  other  is  a  small,  short,  conical  tooth,  with  a  compara- 
tively large  base,  and  seems  to  have  been  set  directly  upon 
the  jaw. 

21 


322  NOETH-CA.E,OLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

I  am  aware  that  the  foregoing  very  brief  statement  respect- 
ing the  fish  of  this  formation  is  too  meagre  and  too  indefinite 
to  be  of  much  service  in  determining  the  age  of  this  forma- 
tion. I  prefer  to  wait  the  result  of  discoveries  before  attempt- 
ing to  make  use  of  the  present  knowledge,  which  is  evidently 
too  scanty  upon  which  to  form  a  geological  opinion.  ' 

It  is  now  well  known  to  geologists  that  two  genera  of  fish    I 
have  been  found  in  the  slates  of  the  Richmond  coal  basin — ■    * 
the  Tetragonolepis,  Agassiz,  whose  scales  are  rather  large,  »M 
(pi.  9,  fig.  3 ;)  the  other  is  a  slender  fish,  with  scales  more  re-  " 
sembling  those  in  the  rocks  of  Deep  river,  (pi.  9,  fig.  1.)     But 
none  of  the  large  scales  indicative  of  the  existence  of  the  Te- 
tragonolepis have  been  found  with  those  smaller  rhombic 
scales  in  the  formations  of  Deep  or  Dan  river.     It  may  be 
questioned  then  whether  the  fish  may  not  be  difi'erent  in  the 
two  localities,  the  scales  of  the  Deep  river  being  much  smaller 
and  more  acutely  rhombic. 

The  most  common  body  which  is  connected  with  animal 
remains  are  coprolites,  the  excrement  of  fish  and  saurians. 
They  are  common  and  abundant  in  all  the  bituminous  schists. 
Their  forms  are  variable,  as  well  as  their  size.  The  one  most 
frequently  met  with  is  about  one  and  a  half  inches  long,  and 
half  an  inch  in  diameter ;  this  kind  is  never  spiral.  But  an- 
other, not  diflering  materially  in  size,  shows  a  spiral  arrange-  , 
ment  of  parts,  (plate  6,  figs.  6,  7  and  9,  of  which  ISTo.  7  is  the  ■ 
most  abundant.  ■  , 

After  having  examined  critically  a  large  number  of  beds  in 
the  Deep  and  Dan  rivers  coal  fields,  I  am  confident  the  fish 
remains  thus  far  difi'er  from  those  of  the  Kichmond  basin. 
The  Tetragonolepis,  which  is  a  liassic  genus,  has  not  yet  been 
found  in  JSTorth  Carolina,  and  I  am  confident,  too,  that  the 
scales,  fins  and  fish  bones,  found  on  the  deep  river,  do  no  tbe- 
long  to  either  species  of  Dictyopyge  of  the  Richmond  coal- 
field. (See  proceedings  of  the  Geological  Society  of  London, 
vol.  3,  pp.  280,  from  which  the  figures  were  copied.) 

Class  Molusca — Bivalve  Shells. 
The  genus  Posidonia  is  the  only  animal  of  this  class  which 


NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    STJKVET.  323 

has  been  observed.  It  is  a  small,  tliin,  bivalve  shell,  concen- 
trically marked  with  lines  or  fm^rows.  It  is  pressed  perfectly 
flat  in  the  black  bituminous  slates.  It  is  often  abundant,  but 
it  is  also  frequently  absent.  It  is  associated  with  a  cypris, 
and  the  fossils  which  have  already  been  noticed.  The  shell 
is  as  thin  as  paper,  and  we  rarely  find  one  perfect,  though  a 
large  surface  may  be  covered  with  them. 

Fig.  w.  The  posidonia  of  the  black  slates 

appears  to  be  a  different  species  from 
those  which  occur  in  the  upper  red 
sandstone.  Figs.  W  are  accurate 
outlines  of  the  shells — the  Posidonia 
1.  2.  ovalis.     The  smallest,  'No.  1,  is  the 

natural  size,  and  2  is  enlarged. 

Class  Articulata. — Order,  Crustacea. 
Family  Gijfridm. — This  singular  fossil,  the  cypris,  composes 
entire  strata  among  the  bituminous  slates.  It  is  a  very  small 
fossil,  the  largest  individual  scarcely  exceeding  one-thirtieth 
of  an  inch  in  length.  Their  form  is  much  like  that  of  bean, 
though  infinitely  smaller.  In  the  midst  of  this  multitude  of 
small  carapaces  of  this  family,  it  is  usual  to  find  two  sizes,  one 
about  half  the  length  of  the  largest,  but  the  small  ones 
scarcely  differ  in  form  from  the  larger ;  both  are  smooth,  and 
the  only  marking  which  they  exhibit  is  an  oblique  groove, 
which  may  be  due  to  pressure.  The  great  interest  which 
attaches  itself  to  these  curious  fossils,  is  their  abundance.  In 
the  shaft  of  Egypt  it  was  very  singular  also  to  observe  their 
sudden  disappearance  from  the  green  calcareous  shale,  and 
their  sudden  return  again  on  the  reappearance  of  the  black 
bituminous  slate.  Prof.  Rogers  speaks  of  one  species  with 
a  granulated  carapace,  which  I  have  not  seen. 


Note. — Scales  of  the  Tetragouolepis  have  been  found  since  the  foregoing  Wi.  s 
written. 


32-i  NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   8UBVET. 


CHAPTEE  XLI. 

FossUs  of  the  Argillaceous  Blue  Slates. — Eqidvalent  to  the 
Coal  Shale  grou^  of  the  ThuringervMld,  with  remarks  and 
descriptionSi    ■  '  ' 

§  261.  The  plant  bed  reposing  upon  tlie  conglomerate  at 
Jones'  Falls  or  Lockville,  as  the  place  has  recently  been 
called,  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable,  as  well  as  the  most 
characteristic  bed  in  the  whole  series  upon  Deep  river. 

After  the  deposition  of  the  conglomerate  the  beds  were 
quietly  formed.  The  accumnlation  began  in  dark  blue  slates 
or  shale,  perhaps  not  more  than  ten  feet  thick,  to  which  suc- 
ceeded a  soft  gray  sandstone,  which  is  probably  equally  rich 
in  plants  as  the  slates  themselves  ;  but  the  latter  has  not  been 
examined  with  much  care,  and  an  examination  which  was 
continued  for  half  an  hour,  gave  several  new  plants,  is  all 
that  has  been  done.  These  beds  have  furnished  only  plants, 
consisting  of  ferns  and  cicadeous  ones,  which  seem  to  be 
quite  abundant.  The  importance  of  these  beds  in  a  geologi- 
cal point  of  view,  consists  in  giving  us  a  clear  and  well  de- 
fined boundary  to  the  Keuper  sandstones  and  marls,  which 
overhe  the  beds  in  question.  The  Muschelkalk  were  it  pres- 
ent, would  occupy  a  position  immediately  below  the  plant 
bed. 

It  may  be  well  to  recur  in  this  place,  to  the  chain  of  evi- 
dence which  supports  the  view  which  I  have  presented. 

1.  The  lithological  characters  of  the  lower  sandstone, 
agree  in  these  respects  with  the  formation  in  other  parts  of 
the  world. 

2.  The  series  next  above  it,  are  shown  to  belong  to  the 
Permian  system,  by  the  existence  of  Thecodont  saurian 
remains. 

3.  The  Trias  succeeds  the  Permian,  and  as  we  have  found 
several  plants  which  in  their  localities  represent  the  system, 
there  can  remain  scarcely  a  doubt  that  the  view  I  have  pre^ 


NOKTH-CABOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUKVET.  325 

sented,  is  supported  by  a  class  of  facts,  wMcli  in  other  cases, 
would  be  regarded  as  decisive.  The  upper  part  of  the  series 
which  I  have  placed  with  the  Permian,  the  drab  colored 
sandstone  beneath  the  conglomerate,  may  be  found  hereafter 
to  be  Triassic.  I  have  placed  them  in  the  upper  Permian, 
because  I  have  yet  seen  no  line  of  demarkation  separating 
the  lower,  from  the  upper,  until  we  reach  the  conglomerate 
referred  to.  But  the  series  which  is  composed  of  drab  col- 
ored sandstones,  is  so  much  concealed,  that  a  clear  line  of 
this  kind  may  exist,  and  may  have  escaped  detection.  The 
Musehelkalk  is  wanting ;  that  central  limestone  so  rich  in  fos- 
sils in  Germany,  and  which  is  a  well  defined  fingerboard  in 
the  geological  horizon ;  but  the  Keuper-scheifer  of  the  Ger- 
mans may  be  represented  by  our  calcareous  shales  and  bitu- 
minous coal  shale  bands. 

Our  evidence  is  not  confined  to  the  existence  of  certain 
saurian  remains ;  it  is  also  found  in  the  succeeding  beds, 
whose  fossils  I  shall  now  proceed  to  describe. 

PiLICITES   OE   FEKNS. 
OKDFK,   PECOPTEEroES. — GoEPP. 

Frond,  simple,  pinnate,  bi  or  tripinnate,  or  bitripinnatified  ; 
pinnules,  equal  or  dilated  at  base,  midrib  or  main  nerve, 
strong  and  not  evanescent  towards  the  apex ;  secondary 
nerves  dichotomous  and  sometimes  twice  or  thrice  forked,  or 
anastomosing  with  each  other. 

Steangeeites. 

TiENIOPTEEIS. 

Frond,  many  nerved,  middle  nerve  thick,  side  nerves  par- 
allel, dichotomous. — Borneman, 

Steajstgeeffes  obliquus. — E.  n.  s. 
The  nerves  or  side  veins  go  off  at  first  at  an  acute  angle, 
when  they  soon  become  nearly  at  right  angles  with  the  mar- 
gin of  the  frond.     Some  of  the  side  veins  divide  near  the 
mid  rib ;  others  do  not  fork  until  they  nearly  reach  the  mar- 


326  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURYEY. 

gin.  Those  wliicli  bifurcate  low  down  or  near  the  mid  rib, 
usually  fork  twice.  This  fern  occurs  at  Ellingtons,  but  is  rare. 
Another  species  also  belongs  to  this  locality.  It  is  much 
longer,  and  not  so  wide,  and  is  a  much  more  delicate  plant ; 
the  mid  rib  is  less  robust,  or  more  slender. 

ackostichites  oblongus.---g0ep.  n.  s. 

Pecopteeis  Whitbtensis. 
Plate  4,  Figs.  8  and  6.-. 

Frond  bi-pinnate,  primary  pinnee  going  off  nearly  at  right 
angles,  prolonged  and  tapering ;  leafets ;  oblong,  obtuse ;  close: 
ly  placed,  but  not  united ;  adherent  by  the  whole  base,  and 
shghtly  widened ;  edges  nearly  parallel ;.  midribs  rather  faint, 
especially  near  the  apex ;  side  veins  making  rather  an  acute 
angle,  anastomosing,  but  frequently  fork  towards  the  margin, 
primary  rachis,  thick  strait,  as  in  Fig.  6,  Plate  4. 
The  fern  just  described,  I  had  supposed  was  the  P  Whitbyensis, 
described  by  Prof.  "Wm.  B.  Eogers,  in  the  Transactions  of  the 
American  Association.  A  critical  examination  of  the  side  veins 
of  the  leafets,  seems  to  throw  considerable  doubt  upon  the  cor- 
rectness of  my  first  impression.  I  was  moreover  confirmed  in 
that  view  for  a  time,  by  a  remark  of  this  gentleman  on  seeing 
the  plant,  that  it  was  the  one  I  referred  to ;  but  Prof.  P.  saw 
it  at  a  distance,  and  is  not  responsible  for  an  opinion  express- 
ed under  the  circumstances.  It  differs  from  the  Whitbyensis 
as  stated  in  the  peculiar  distribution  of  its  side  veins,  and  be- 
ing anastomising,  throws  it  into  Goepeets  genus  Aceosti- 
CHiTEs.  The  leafets  of  the  P.  Whitbyensis  are  falcate  and 
acute.  It  is  true  the  general  appearance  of  the  plant,  thick 
rachis  is  much  like  Brogniarts  figure,  but  differs  from  it  es- 
sentially in  the  details.  It  agrees  much  less  with  Lindley's 
and  Hutton's  figure  of  this  fern.  In  their  figure,  the  rachis 
is  slender,  and  the  leafets  decidedly  acute  and  falcate. 

This  fern,  so  far  as  my  examination  has  extended,  is  un- 
described ;  and  hence,  I  have  proposed  the  name  oblongits, 
from  the  form  of  the  leafets.  If  it  should  prove  that  this  is 
the  plant  which  has  been  taken  for  the  Whitbyensis,  it  will 
change  somewhat  the  evidence  which  has  been  adduced  in 


NOKTH-OAEOLINA   GEOLOGIOAI.    SURVEY.  327 

support  of  the  views  that  the  Richmond  coalfield  is  of  the  age 
of  than  of  Whitby,  in  England, 

That  the  distribution  of  the  side  veins  may  have  been  over- 
looked, appears  possible  from  the  fact  that  Prof.  Bunbury, 
who  alludes  to  it,  speaks  of  the  obscurity  of  the  side  viens ; 
indeed,  in  most  specimens  the  midrib  becomes  very  obscure 
toward  the  apex  of  the  leafet  and  the  lower  leafets,  the  mid- 
rib is  so  evanescent  that  it  might  pass  for  a  neuropteris,  to 
which  genus  it  undoubtedly  has  a  close  affinity.  This  fern 
occurs  at  Ellingtons  in  the  blue  slate,  associated  with  other 
species  of  Pecopteris,  Equisetum  Calamites,  &c.  It  does  not 
appear  to  be  very  common, 

Pecopteeis  falcatus,     E,  n.  s. 
Plate  4.     Fig.  9. 

Frond  pinnate,  Or  bi-pinnate ;  secondary  rachis  smooth, 
channeled ;  leafets  long,  rather  distant  than  approximate ; 
obtuse,  somewhat  falciform,  slightly  protracted  at  base,  and 
adherent  their  whole  width  ;'  midrib  distinct  to  the  apex ;  side 
viens  go  off  at  an  acute  angle,  fork  once,  and  also  twice ;  sori 
round,  in  two  rows,  with  from  twelve  to  seventeen  in  a  row. 
The  standing  of  the  leaves  vary  as  to  closeness.  They  are 
approximate  on  parts  of  the  frond.  I  have  never  seen  an  en- 
tire frond.  It  is  evidently  as  large,  or  nearly  so,  as  the  P.  in- 
signis. 

It  is  rather  common  at  Ellington's  in  the  blue  slate ;  I  have 
also  seen  a  poor  specimen  at  Lockville  in  the  same  kind  of 
slate ;  and  also  in  a  decomposing,  light-colored  slate  at  House's 
quarries  on  the  Haw  river. 

Fig.  ,5,  of  the  same  plate,  seems  to  be  closely  allied  to  the 
preceding.  It  may  be  a  barren  frond,  or  the  leafets  may  be 
variable  in  length,  towards  the  base  of  the  rachis.  It  is  pe- 
culiar in  the  variable  form  of  the  leafets.  It  is  more  common 
at  Ellington's  than  any  which  I  have  noticed  at  that  locality. 

Pecopteeis  Gaeolinensis,  E.,  ft.  ■§. 
PL  4.,  Fig.  1,  2. 
Frond  pinnate,  or  bi-pinnate,  leafets  long,  tapering  when 


328  NOKTH-OAKOLmA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

beyond  their  middle,  sub-acute,  close,  apices  only,  seem  to  be 
free ;  slightly  dilated  at  base ;  midrib  perceptible  near  the 
apex ;  side  veins  going  off  at  an  acute  angle,  dividing  once 
or  twice.  Fructification  spots,  arranged  singly  and  in  a  row, 
on  each  side  of  the  midrib  ;  large,  round,  scolloped,  elevated 
it  the  middle,  and  radiate. 

The  leafets  of  this  fern  are  rather  more  than  an  inch  long ; 
they  are  thin  and  delicate,  and  taper  from  near  the  middle  to 
an  obtuse  point.  Fragments  only  of  this  large  fern  have  been 
found,  some  six  or  seven  inches  long.  It  might  be  mistaken 
for  the  preceding ;  the  sori,  however,  are  quite  unlike  those 
of  the  falcatus,  resembling  those  of  the  Phlebopteris,  but  the 
side  veins  are  not  reticulated  as  in  that  genus.  It  occurs  at 
Ellington's,  in  the  blue  slate. 

Pecopteris  (Aspidites)  Bullatus. — BuNBimY. 
Plate.  2,  Fig.  8. 

"  Frond  bi-pinnate ;  leafets  contiguous,  widening  at  base, 
"  obtuse,  nearly  entire ;  veins,  oblique ;  sori,  sunk  in  round 
"pits,  and  thickly  implanted,  or  approximate,  and  in  one 
"  series  on  each  side  of  the  midrib. 

"  The  stem  is  smooth,  and  the  primary  pinnae  go  off  at  right 
"  angles.  The  leafets  are  very  nearly  perpendicular  to  the 
"  partial  rachis,  closely  placed,  but  not  united  at  their  bases, 
"  and  about  three-tenths  of  an  inch  long,  more  or  less  obtuse, 
"  and  their  margins  apparently  entire  ;  the  midrib  scarcely 
"  reaches  the  extremity  of  the  leafet ;  side  veins  obscure,  but 
"  when  distinguishable,  oblique  and  pinnated,  with  three  or 
"  more  alternate  branches.  The  peculiar  distinctive  charaC' 
"  ter  of  the  species  consists  in  the  round  pits  in  which  the 
"sori  are  placed.  Bunbury.  This  species  belongs  to  the 
"  Richmond  coalfield."* 


From  proceedings  of  the  Geological  Society,  London,  p.  383, 


noeth-cakolina  geolocjucal  sukvey.  329 

ISTeuropteeides. 

ISTeTJROPTEEIS   LINN^FOLIA. BUNBUEY. 

Plate  2,  Fig.  6. 
"  Frond  bi-pinnate,  pinnae,  sub-opposite  alternate,  sessile 
^'  contiguous,  sub-imbricate,  orbicular,  entire  sub-convex ; 
"  veins  dichotomous,  flexuous,  diverging  from  tlie  base  of  the 
"  leafet.  Primary  pinnae,  nearly  opposite ,  long,  narrow,  nearly 
"  linear ;  leafets  numerous,  opposite  or  alternate,  or  placed 
"  closely  to  each  otlier  so  as  to  touch ;  slightly  cordate,  one- 
"  quarter  of  an  inch  in  length ;  no  distinct  midrib  ;  veins  rather 
"  strongly  marked,  numerous,  and  radiate  from  the  bases  of 
."  the  leafet,  and  repeatedly  forked ;  surface  of  the  leafets 
"  granulated  between  the  veins. — considered  as  intermediate 
"  between  the  I^europteris  and  Odontopteris.  Bunbury.  It 
"  belongs  to  the  Richmond  coalfield.""^ 

Cyclopteeis. 
Plate  4.  Fig.  10. 
Frond  sub-orbicular;  sessile,  veins  three  or  four  times 
divided,  jiexuous.  The  imperfection  in  the  outline  of  this 
fern  renders  it  impossible  to  give  the  general  form.  The 
veins  or  nerves  are  strong  and  radiate  from  the  base.  There 
are  some  indications  that  what  appear  to  be  nerves  and  de- 
scribed as  such,  may  be  thread-like  bodies,  as  some  of  them 
appear  to  cross  the  others ;  so,  also,  there  are  round  dots  like 
Bori  between  the  veins,  consisting  of  impressions  which  are 
nearly  obliterated ;  but  these  are  too  doubtful  to  allow  a 
change  of  name.  It  occurs  in  the  blue  slates  at  Ellingtons  ; 
only  two  specimens  were  obtained.  This  fern  being  obscure 
and  not  presenting  to  the  eye  any  strong  marks  by  which  it 
is  easily  recognized,  may  be  quite  common  at  this  locality  and 
yet  escape  detection.  I  have  met  with  only  two  specimens 
of  it. 


*  Proceedings  Geological  Society,  London,  vol.  iii,  p.  281. 


330  NOETH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

Cycadeace^,  ok  OYOADS. 

PTEEOZAJinTES   DECUSSATFS. E.  Ql.  S. 

Plate  3,  Fig.  1. 

Pinnate,  petiole  strong,  striate,  leaves  opposite  elongate, 
many  nerved,  parallel,  at  riglit  angles  to  the  petiole,  obtuse. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the  position  of  the  leaves  upon  the 
petiole,  as  in  the  ligure,  represents  the  mode  in  which  they 
were  attached  ;  but  as  there  is  no  opportunity  for  determin- 
ing their  length,  and  whether  obtuse  or  acute,  the  description 
miist  remain  defective.  The  probability  is  they  are  obtuse, 
and  hence  I  have  placed  it  in  this  genus. 

It  occurs  at  Ellingtons  in  the  blue  slate,  and  appears  to  be 
rare.  , 

Cycadites  acutus. — E.  n.  s. 
,  Petiole,  strong  and  striate ;  leaves  thick,  narrow,  supplied 
with  a  single  thick  nerve  in  the  middle  of  the  leaf,  rigid, 
acute ;  margins  revolute  ;  leaves  about  two  inches  long  and 
standing  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  petiole.  This  is  no 
doubt  a  true  cycas. 
It  occurs  in  the  dark  slates  of  Lockville  or  Jones'  Falls. 

Cycadites  loisegifolius. — E  n.  s. 

Stem  or  petiole,  channeled  ;  leaves  opposite,  thick,  acute, 
and  apparently  supplied  with  a  single  mid  rib  ;  margins  rev- 
olute, or  thickened ;  leaves  standing  at  an  acute  angle  with 
the  petiole.  Frond  was  probably  fourteen  or  fifteen  inches, 
if  not  two  feet  long  ;  leaves  about  three  inches  long. 

The  specimen  adheres  by  the  back  side  of  the  frond.  The 
upper  shows  a  channel  in  the  middle,  which  indicates  a  mid 
rib,  but  no  side  veins  can  be  discovered. 

It  occurs  at  Lockville.  Fragments  of  the  leaves  are  not 
uncommon. 

ZaMITES    GRAMESriOIDES. E.  U.  S. 

Plate  4,  Fig.  11. 
Frond  pinnate,  midrib,  rather  coarsely  striate ;  leaves  op- 


NORTH-CAROLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 


331 


posite,  long,  narrow,  acute,  slightly  constricted  at  base,  many- 
nerved,  parallel. 

The  figure  represents  the  leaves  as  not  constricted  at  base  ; 
better  specimens  show  that  they  are  slightly  constricted. 
Tliis  grass  like  Zamites  differs  from  the  gramineus  proposed 
by  Prof.  Bnnbury  in  the  length  of  the  leaves,  they  are 
shorter  and  not  as  wide.  The  longest  are  about  an  inch  and 
a  qnarter,  and  they  are  supplied  with  about  six  nerves,  one 
of  them  becoming  more  prominent  than  the  rest. 

Zaj^htes  obtusifolius. — Rogers. 
A  species  agreeing  with  the  obtusifolius  as  described  by 
Prof  Rogers,  is  found  in  the  blue  slates  at  Ellingtons. 

Podozamites  lanceolatus. — E.  n.  s. 
Plate  3.  Eig.  T. 
Stem  or  midrib,  strong,  striate  ;  leaves  nearly  opposite,  or 
rather  alternating ;  lanceolate,  contracted  at  base ;  nerves 
many,  parallel,  converging  towards  the  apex.  The  detached 
leaves  of  this  plant  are  very  common  in  the  blue  slate  at  El- 
lingtons ;  some  are  half  an  inch  wide. 

Podozamites  longifolius. — ^E.  oi.  s. 

Leaves  linear,  lanceolate,  acute,  constricted  immediately  at 
the  base  ;  nerves,  fine  parallel,  converging  towards  the  apex. 
The  P.  longifolius  difi^ers  from  the  former  in  the  proportion  of 
the  leaves ;  they  are  narrower  in  proportion  to  their  length 
than  the  lanceolatus  ;  the  base  is  wider  and  constricted  less, 
and  the  nerves  are  not  so  strong  and  distinct.  The  frond  is 
seven  inches  wide,  and  was  probably  two  feet  long. 

It  occurs  at  Lockville  in  the  blue  slates  ;  it  is  a  more  robust 
plant  than  the  former. 

At  Ellingtons,  in  the  blue  slate,  I  have  found  an  apparently 
singular  fruit  disk,  which  I  believe  is  entirely  new.  I  sup- 
posed at  fii'st,  it  might  be  the  fruit  of  a  cycadeous  plant ;  but 
it  is  quite  evident,  that  it  difi'ers  in  toto  from  the  fruit  of  this 
family,  as  it  is  usually  represented ;  besides,  there  are  certain 
facts  connected  with  the  specimens  which  go  to  show,,  that  it 


332  NOBTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SURVEY. 

is  in  itself  a  complete  plant.  I  have  called  this  singular  pro- 
duction, L&pacydotes,  from  its  being  composed  of  a  circle  of 
scales,  having  a  distant  resemblance  to  the  scales  of  a  cone  of 
a  pine.  It  is  one  of  the  most  common  plants  at  this  locality, 
the  detached  scales  occurring  throughout  the  slate. 

{Natural  order  Undetermined^ 

Lepactclotes. — n.  g. 
Disk  circular  or  elliptic  and  formed  of  numerous  scales  ar- 
ranged in  a  circle  or  in  that  of  an  ellipse  ;  scales  terminating 
outwardly,  in  triangular  points,  which  form  a  border  outside 
of  a  circular  ridge. 

Lepagyolotes  cmcuLAKis. — ^E.  n.  s. 
Plate  3,  Fig.  4. 
Disk  circular  and  formed  of  numerous  triangular  pointed 
scales,  which  radiate  apparently  from  a  centre.  This  species 
appeared  to  be  furnished  with  a  thin  fleshy  disk,  most  of 
which  broke  in  detaching  it  from  the  rock.  A  portion  how- 
ever, still  remains  as  represented  in  the  figure. 

Lepagyolotes,  ellipticus. — E.  n.  s. 
Plate  3,  Fig.  6. 

Disk  elliptic,  scales  inserted  or  standing  around  an  elipti- 
cal  area,  which  is  marked  by  an  elevated  line ;  scales  with  a 
ridge  upon  the  back,  bounded  by  two  shallow  furrows  or  de- 
pressions. 

The  thin  triangular  expansions  outside  the  ridge,  are  varia- 
ble in  length. 

This  species  is  by  far  the  most  common,  and  it  furnishes 
some  anomalous  forms  which  it  is  difficult  to  understand  on 
the  assumption  that  it  is  a  coniferous  fruit.  Thus,  I  have  one 
specimen  less  than  half  an  inch  in  its  longest  diameter,  and 
another,  if  complete,  more  than  eight  inches,  and  formed  of 
tliree  concentric  circles,  as  if  it  were  an  entire  plant ;  one 
circle  growing  upon  another.  When  I  first  observed  this 
species,  I  supposed  its  elliptic  form  was  due  to  pressure ;  but 


NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET.  33S 

1  am  persuaded  tlie  form  is  constant,  whether  the  disk  is  small 
or  large.  I  believe  too,  that  its  form  marks  a  specific  difference- 

The  latter,  L.  ellipticus,  is  sometimes  furnished  with  a  stem 
which  traverses  the  disk  in  the  direction  of  its  long  diameter, 
or  its  longest  axis.  At  first,  it  appeared  to  me,  that  it  was 
an  accidental  accompaniment ;  but  having  seen  it  already, 
three  or  four  times,  and  always  lying  in  this  direction,  I  be- 
lieve it  should  be  regarded  as  a  stem,  or  support  of  the  disk, 
and  that  it  is  a  part  of  the  plant. 

JBoth  species  occur  at  Ellingtons;  the  ellipticus  is  by  far 
the  most  common. 

LYCOPODLiCE^.       ' 

"Walchia  diffusus.— E.  n.  s. 
Plate  3,  Fig.  2. 

Stem  and  branches  thickly  covered  with  small  recurved 
lanceolate  leaves,  clasping  at  base;  larger  upon  the  main 
stem  than  branches ;  branches  numerous,  and  irregular 
often  elongated,  leafy. 

This  species  is  quite  abundant  at  Ellington's,  in  the  blue 
slate.  It  does  not  occur  in  the  carboniferous  slates  at  all. 
There  is  one  in  this  lower  formation,  however,  which  is  only 
seen  in  fragments,  but  which  I  believe  is  quste  different.  It 
has  been  referred  to. 

Walchia  longifolius. — E.  n.  s. 

Leaves  pointed  or  acute,  beginning  to  taper  about  one- 
third  their  length  from  the  base ;  clasping  and  decurrent ; 
main  stem  large,  leafy,  and  supplied  apparently  with  simple 
branches. 

The  leaves  are  three  times  as  long  as  those  of  the  W.  dif- 
fusus,  and  their  length  is  very  uniform.  This  species  occurs 
at  Lockville,  in  the  blue  slate.  Tlie  stems  are  sometimes  half 
an  inch  in  diameter. 

Another  species  occurs  at  Lockville  with  slender  elongated 
branches,  with  leaves  about  the  length  of  those  of  the  W.  diffu- 


334  NOKTH-CAJROLINA   GEOLOGICAI.    SUKVEY. 


sus,  but  more  pointed.    It  may  be  a  variety  of  the  foriiier.  The 
W.  longefoliiis  resembles  very  closely  the  Yoltzia  acutifolius. 

Equisetace^. 

Calamites  disjunctus. — ^E.  n.  s. 
Plate  4,  Fig.  7. 
Joints  distant,  ribs  distant  with  the  surface  between,  mark- 
ed with  fine  parallel  lines. 

The  outside  resembles  that  of  the  C.  Moutgeottii,  and  may 
belong  to  that  species ;  but  I  have  never  observed  the  inter- 
nal stem  which  is  like  the  C.  arenaceus. 

CALAMriES   AEENACEUS. 

The  dark  cuticle  is  without  markings ;  beneath,  finely  rib- 
bed ;  specimens  occur  in  which  the  joints  are  enlarged.  IsTum- 
ber  of  ribs  in  an  inch  about  forty.  This  is  the  most  common 
calamites  at  Lockville  and  Ellington's. 

Eqiiisetum  column  are. 
Plate  2,  Fig.  9. 
A  specimen  from  the  Richmond  coal  basin.     It  has  not 
been  discovered  as  yet  in  connection  with  the  series  upon 
Deep  river. 

Fossil  plants  of  the  Kjeupee  sandstone  and  maels. 
{Natural  order  undetermined^ 

Sphenoglossum. — E.  n.  g. 

§  262.  Leaves  short,  wedge  form ;  or  sub-triangular,  mark- 
ed with  striae  radiating  from  the  centre,  arranged  in  twos  or 
fours  around  the  stem  or  support. 

I  have  seen  specimens  with  two  opposite  leaves  in  place. 
In  the  one  from  which  the  figure  was  taken  there  are  three^ 
and  one  is  restored. 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVEY.  335 

Sphenoglossum  quadkifolium. — E.  n.  s. 
Plate  1,  rig.  2. 

Leaves  witli  divergent  margins,  and  marked  with  unequal 
divergent  lines.  Stem  quadrangular?  The  softness  of  the 
stone  and  the  slight  abrasion  it  has  suffered  at  the  centre, 
renders  it  uncertain  respecting  the  shape  of  the  stem. 

This  fossil  plant  occurs  in  the  soft  reddish  marls  near  Hay- 
wood. It  is  associated  with  Fig.  1,  on  Plate  2.  Mr.  Lea  of^ 
Philadelphia,  has  a  similar  plant  from  Turner's  Falls,  Mass., 
a  locality  which  has  furnished  so  many  fine  foot  prints  of 
birds  and  saurians. 

Pecopteeides. 

Pecopteeis  ? 
Plate  2,  Pig.  1. 
This  plant  which  occurs  in  the  Keuper  sandstone  near  Hay- 
wood, Chatham  county,  is  too  indistinct  for  the  determina- 
tion of  the  genus  to  which  it  belongs.  The  outline  of  the 
frond,  with  its  leafets,  are  easily  made  out,  but  the  more  im- 
portant characters  are  too  much  obliterated. 

Animal   Pemains   of   the   Keupee   Sandstone  and  Maels. 

Desgeiption  of  a  TiBixi  OF  A  Saijeian. 
Plate  5,  Pig.  1,  one-half  natural  size. 
The  specimen  is  not  altered  or  changed  in  its  composition,  \ 
but  is  still  bone,  and  bears  a  resemblance  to  a  grave-yard 
bone  ;  hence,  its  texture  or  structure  is  visible  to  the  eye,  and 
is  seen  to  be  coarsely  cellular  throughout,  with  broken  cylin-. 
ders  or  canals  traversing  it  in  an  oblique  direction.     The  tex- 
ture appears  as  coarse  and  open  as  any  bone  belonging  to  the 
mammiferous  order.     Li  this  respect  it  is  in  contrast  with  the 
bones  figured  on  plate  ISTo.  7. 


Note. — I  have  several  other  plants  from  the  Keuper,  which  are  too  imjjerfect  for 
determinatiou ;  amoug  them  is  a  large  Zamites  or  cycadeous  plaut. 


336  WORTH-CAHOLINA  GEOLOGICAL    STJEVETf. 

The  bone  is  very  thick  at  the  proximal  extremity,  or  at  its 
articulation  with  the  thigh  bone.  Its  articulating  surface  is 
well  preserved.  It  is  divided  into  two  unequal  parts  by  an 
elevation  which  fits  to  the  space  between  the  condyles  of  the 
femur.  This  surface  is  very  oblique,  the  greater  has  a  width 
of  two  and  a  half  inches ;  the  lesser  of  one  inch,  measured 
transversely. 

At  the  distance  of  about  seven  inches  from  the  proximal 
extremity  it  has  a  strong  curve,  or  such  as  represented  in  the 
figure.  The  upper  part  is  obliquely  quadrangular.  "The  an- 
terior surface  of  this  part  has  a  deep  broad  groove,  which  ex- 
tends nearly  to  the  curvature,  but  becomes  flattened  or  shal- 
low near  this  part  of  the  bone.  The  outside  is  narrower  than 
the  inside.  The  inside  surface  is  broad,  slightly  convex.  The 
posterior  side  shows  the  deep  longitudinal  depression  between 
the  condyles  for  the  transmission  of  its  vessels  and  nerves- 
The  inferior  part,  which  is  seven  inches  long,  is  straight  from 
the  curvature  ;  just  at  the  bend  it  is  oval  in  a  transverse  sec- 
tion, but  as  it  proceeds  towards  the  lower  extremity,  it  is 
flattened ;  the  anterior  edge  is  only  about  half  as  wide  as  the 
posterior.  It  is  broken  at  this  end,  and  there  is  probably  a 
loss  of  two  inches  in  length.  It  continues  to  widen  to  the 
broken  extremity,  and  its  surface  is  injured ;  none  of  the  natu- 
ral unbroken  surface  remains,  but  the  foi-m  is  preserved. 

Dimensions  of  the  bone,  etc. :  " 

The  whole  length  measured  over  the  currature  to  the 

articulating  surface 13  inch,  and  J^  of  an  inch. 

Thickness  of  the  condyles /?'om  side  to  side 3  "  34        " 

Circumference  of  the  condyle 10  " 

Thickness  through  the  inner  condyle 8  " 

Thickness  through  the  bend 1  "         %        " 

Thickness  through  the  flattened  extremity /'/•owi  the  an- 
terior to  the   posterior 2  "         %       " 

Thickness  from  side  to  side 1  "         /4       " 

This  bone  has  a  small  medullary  cavity,  which  is  brought  to 
view  by  a  fracture  near  its  curvature. 

The  bone  is  stained  throughout  with  a  reddish  tint,  which 
was  derived  from  the  rock  inclosing  it,  which,  when  ground 


NOETH-CAROLmA  G-EOLOGICAL  SURVEY.  33T 

down,  is  white,  and  its  structure  is  as  easily  brought  out  as 
the  recent  bone. 

Another  bone  from  the  same  sandstone  as  represented  upon 
plate  5,  fig.  2,  was  found  near  the  locality  of  the  former. 
It  is  a  fragment  of  a  cervical  vertebra.  If  a  vertebra,  its  spi- 
nous process  must  have  been  very  long,  as  the  piece  remain- 
ing is  still  four  and  a  half  inches.  It  is  flattened,  and  its  trans- 
verse section  oval,  and  is  provided  with  sharp  ridges  on  each 
edge  for  the  attachment  of  muscles.  It  is  three-quarters  of 
an  inch  wide,  three-eighths  of  an  inch  thick.  The  portion  of 
the  centrum  remaining  has  two  large  articulating  surfaces, 
the  one  above  fig.  2  is  more  than  one  inch  across  and  runs 
parallel  with  the  flattened  faces  of  the  bone ;  it  must  have 
been  two  inches  long.  The  other  is  oblique,  and  is  concealed 
in  the  figure  under  the  triangular  process,  and  the  broken  one 
on  the  right.  There  is  also  a  deep  groove  running  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  spine,  but  which  terminates  in  a  sharp  ridge. 

The  bones  were  discovered  by  Mr.  Leadbetter,  of  Anson 
Co.,  IST.  C.  The  position  is  near  the  upper  part  of  the  red 
sandstone.  I  visited  the  place  and  know  from  personal  ex- 
amination that  it  belongs  geologically  to  this  formation.  I 
regarded  the  bone  as  a  remarkable  one,  and  hence  was  cau- 
tious not  to  leave  the  question  of  place  in  uncertainty, 
although  for  myself  I  put  perfect  confidence  in  the  observa- 
tion of  the  gentleman  who  found  it. 

POSIDONIA. 

§  264.  The  posidonias  of  the  sandstone  and  marl  are  very 

abundant  at  a  locality  six  or  seven  miles  south  from  Mr.  Mc- 

Ivers.    There  seem  to  be  two  species.     One  represented  by 

.  Fig.  X.  Figure  X.,  upon  which  the  ribs  are  fine 

and  numerous,  amounting  to   twenty, 

having  the  external  form  of  an  Edmon- 

dia,  with  a  nearly  straight  hinge  fine 

which  I  have  named  P.  multicostata. 

The  other  has  fewer  but  stronger  ribs 
and  a  more  triangular  form  ;  the  repre- 
sentation indicates  a  thick  shell  like  an  astarte,  but  it  is  thin  ; 
22 


^' 


338  NOETH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET. 

the  ribs  are  strong,  but  the  erroneous  impression  arises  from 
the  enlargement  of  the  figure. 

Fig.  v.  This  form  of  the  shell  suggests  the  name 

triangi.ilaris^  should  it  prove  to  be  a  new  spe- 
cies.    They  are   associated  with  a  calamites, 
the  characteristics  of  which  are  rather  obscure, 
Plate  1,  Fig.  1. 
The  stem  appears  as  if  it  was  angular,  but  as  neither  the 
equisetum  or  calamites   are   angular,   it  is  probably  due  to 
pressure. 

A  species  of  cypris  also  occurs  in  the  red  shales,  in  Anson 
county.  They  were  discovered  by  my  friend  Mr.  Leadbetter« 
who  also  discovered  the  fossil  bones  of  the  red  rocks  which 
have  been  described. 


CHAPTEK  XLII. 

The  Coalfields  of  Deep  river  and  of  Richmond^  compared^ 
1st,  as  to  their  lithological  characters,  %d,  their  paloeontolog- 
ical  contents,  and  3d,  the  indications  of  their  comparative 
age. 

§  365.  The  rocks  which  stand  connected  immediately  with 
the  coal  seams,  lie  between  two  red  rocks  or  masses ;  the 
Rothertodthe  liegendes  below,  and  certain  beds  of  the  New 
Red  sandstone  above,  which  I  suppose  may  be  cotempora- 
neous  with  the  Keuper  sandstones  and  marls.  The  coal  seams 
themselves  are  connected  with,  or  embraced  in  a  black  bitu- 
minous slate,  the  whole  thickness  of  which  at  Egypt,  I  have 
estimated  at  eight  hundred  feet.  Immediately  succeeding 
the  slates,  we  find  drab  colored  sandstones,  then  beds  of  con- 


NOKTH-CAKOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SUEVET.  339 

glomerate,  followed  by  a  thin  plant  bed,  composed  of  blue 
slates  whose  flora  is  peculiar  ;  and  finally,  the  upper  red  sand- 
stone already  alluded  to.  Such  is  briefly  the  character  of 
the  Deep  river  rocks. 

The  Richmond  coal  formation,  it  will  be  seen,  is  quite  dif- 
ferent. In  the  first  place,  the  inferior  red  sandstone  is  ab- 
sent. In  the  second  place,  the  mass  of  beds  are  mostly  grits 
and  gray  sandstones,  with  only  intercalated  beds  of  slates  and 
the  coal  seams,  and  near  the  bottom  of  the  series,  and  in 
some  instances  repose  almost  immediately  upon  syenitic  gran- 
ite. We  perceive  then,  at  once,  that  as  physical  groups,  they 
are  unlike  each  other,  which  will  become  more  striking  by 
stating  somewhat  in  detail  the  nature  of  the  rocks  which 
overhe  the  coal  seams.  Thus  we  have  the  following  series  of 
beds : 


FEET.  INCHES. 

Sandstone  with  shale 570  00 

Slate  with  calamites 8  01 

Sandstone  and  shale 43  00 

Sandstone  with  calamites 8  10 

Sandstone  with  shale 48  08 

Slate  with  long  vegetable  stems 2  06 

Sandstone. 6  06 

S  late  with  many  calamites 5  06 

Sandstone 14  00 

Carbonaceous  rock 13  00 

Slate 5  .  00 

Main  Coal  Seam 36  00 

Sandstone 5  00 

Slate 4  00 

Coal 1  00 

Slate ,8  00 

Sandstone  and  grit 7  00 

Granite 00  0© 


773  10 

Here  we  perceive  the  coal  seam  is  within  ten  feet  of  gran- 
ite, and  the  main  seam  within  twenty.  In  other  shafts  the 
coal  is  found  resting  upon  an  uneven  mass  of  granite.     There 

♦ ^ 

*  Copied  from  Mr.  Lyell's  paper,  read  before  the  Geological  Society  of  London,  en- 
titled "  Structure  and  probable  age  of  the  coal  of  James  river  near  Richmond,  Va." 


340  NORTH-CAKOLINA  GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY. 

are'  others  where  tlie  coal  is  thirty  or  forty  feet  above  the 
granite.  There  is,  however,  no  red  sandstone  interposed  be- 
tween the  granite  and  the  coal.  It  is  certain  the  lower  sand- 
stones of  Deep  river,  and  the  foregoing  slates  and  grits,  are 
not  cotemporaneous  beds,  inasmuch  as  the  fossils  are  totally 
different,  and  indicate  a  different  epoch.  We  have,  therefore, 
a  period  represented  by  the  rocks  of  Deep  river,  which  are 
older  than  the  coal  seams  of  the  Richmond  trough,  and  which 
are  not  represented  at  all  in  this  series. 

But  this  fact  alone  would  not  prove  that  the  rocks  which 
represent  the  two  systems  which  inclose  the  respective  seams, 
differ  in  age.  It  is  proved  only  that  long  before  the  rocks 
near  Richmond  had  begun  to  be  deposited,  the  country  where 
Deep  river  now  flows  had  been  for  a  long  time  beneath  the 
waters  of  the  ocean,  in  which  there  had  accumulated  by  the 
slow  accessions  of  matter,  an  immense  thickness  of  sandstone. 

But  then  the  fact  that  subsequently  coal  seams  were 
formed,  does  not  prove  that  they  must  necessarily  be  cotem- 
poraneous. I  have  shown  that  the  coal  seams  of  Deep  river 
belong  probably  to  rocks  of  the  Permian  epoch.  But  those 
inclosing  the  coal  seams  of  Richmond  may  belong  to  the  Tri- 
assic,  Liassic,  or  Oolitic  epochs.  The  exact  epoch  must  be 
determined  by  the  fossils  which  have  been  or  may  yet  be  dis- 
covered in  the  rocks  of  this  district. 

The  determination  of  the  age  of  the  Deep  river  formation 
may  aid  us  in  determining  the  age  of  the  Richmond  basin. 

In  fixing  upon  the  age  of  the  former  we  have  a  base  from 
which  to  start.  We  have  reason  to  believe  that  the  formation 
of  these  rocks  went  on  continuously.  But  it  is  also  proved 
that  during  the  time  they  were  forming,  very  important 
changes  took  place  in  the  races  of  organic  beings  which  lived 
during  that  time.  Thus,  the  fossils  of  the  coal  shale  group 
at  Lockville  and  Ellington's,  are  totally  different  from  any  be- 
low the  group,  or  prior  to  it  in  time.  There  is  not  the  slight- 
est resemblance  between  the  fossils  of  the  beds  connected 
with  the  coal  seams  and  those  of  the  beds  at  Lockville  and 
Ellingtons.     There  is  not  a  species  in  common. 

Having  ascertained  thus  much  relative  to  the  series  of 


NORTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL   SURVEY.  341 

rocks  on  Beep  river,  we  can  hardly  avoid  the  enquiry^ 
whether  we  find  anything  in  common  in  the  coal  shale  group 
find  sandstones  above  the  carboniferous  beds  and  the  Rich- 
mond basin.  I  can  answer,  that  there  is  a  very  close  generic 
resemblance  at  least,  and  to  a  limited  extent,  a  specific  re- 
semblance also.  Thus,  the  T8enioj)teris  magnifolius,  Zamites 
-obtusifolius  and  the  Calamites  arenaceus,  are  identical  from 
these  two  localities.  If  fossils  are  to  be  relied  upon  as  tests 
of  age,  the  Richmond  coalfield  is  formed  of  rocks  which  were 
deposited  cotemporaneously  with  the  upper  series  on  Deep 
river,  beginning  with  the  upper  conglomerate ;  or,  in  other 
words,  the  Richmond  coalfield  is  Triassic,  and  the  Deep  river, 
Permian.  The  latter  represents,  it  is  supposed,  the  last  of  the 
Palmozoic  period,  the  former,  one  of  the  first  stages  of  the 
Mesozoic  period.  This  generalization  may  appear  to  be  too 
bold  in  the  minds  of  some  Geologists,  to  be  true.  But  the 
idea,  that  the  Richmond  coalfield  may  be  Triassic,  has  been 
suggested  before ;  for  Prof  Bunbury,  after  examining  criti- 
cally a  series  of  fossils  collected  by  Mr.  Lyell,  remarks,  "  that 

.  there  is  about  as  much  evidence  of  its  being  Triassic,  as 
Oolitic." 

It  appears  that  most  of  the  fossils  relied  upon  by  Profl 
Rogers  for  his  determinations,  are  found  in  the  Triassic 
group,  and  some  of  them  are  eminently  Triassic  fossils,  as  the 
Calamites  arenaceus,  and  there  is  but  one  among  them 
which  could  be  claimed  as  exclusively  Oolitic,  viz :  the  Pe- 
copteris  Whitbyensis.     Of  the  correct  determination  of  this 

'  plant,  I  believe  we  should  entertain  strong  doubts.  If  there- 
fore, the  plants  of  the  Richmond  coal  series  are  mostly  Tri- 
assic, I  cannot  see  that  we  need  object  to  the  view  presented, 
sustained  as  it  is  by  a  comparison  with  the  Deep  river  fossils, 
which  belong  to  rocks  above  the  middle  conglomerate  or  the 
one  immediately  below  the  coal  shale  group  at  Ellingtons. 

It  is  interesting  to  find  that  there  is  so  much  probability 
or  proof  existing,  which  sustains  certain  general  conclusions 
respecting  the  carboniferous  eras  or  formations  in  this  coun- 
try. The  carboniferous  epoch  proper,  has  been  regarded  as 
the  only  one  which  we  could  rely  upon  for  coal.     The  coal- 


342  NOKTH-CAEOLINA   GEOLOGICAL    SUEVET. 

field  of  Kichmond  was  looked  upon  as  an  anomaly  after  it 
had  been  determined  to  belong  to  a  more  recent  epoch  than 
the  former.  But  if  our  conclusions  respecting  the  epoch  of 
the  Deep  river  series  are  sustained,  we  have  in  this  country 
the  true  carboniferous ;  and  in  the  next  stage,  the  Permian 
comes  in  with  its  coal,  and  then  the  'New  Red  sandstone  in 
the  next  stage  with  workable  coal  seams,  so  that  it  is  proba- 
]>le  we  have  coal  seams  occurring  in  three  consecutive  stages. 
As  coal  originates  from  vegetables,  it  is  also  interesting  to 
note,  that  these  three  consecutive  stages,  are  characterized 
by  peculiar  vegetations ;  that  each  stage  differs  in  its  coal 
plants,  or  the  plants  from  which  the  coal  is  produced.  So 
also,  it  is  probably  true,  that  the  Oolitic  coal  of  Brora,  Scot- 
land, had  its  peculiar  vegetation,  or  its  peculiar  plants  from 
which  the  coal  was  derived.  But  the  physical  phenomena 
attending  the  carboniferous  epochs,  must  have  been  quite 
similar  in  each  ;  they  must  have  been  accompanied  with  sub- 
sidences, and  other  necessary  changes  and  conditions,  in  or- 
der to  have  secured  results  so  similar  in  each  respective 
epoch. 


Note. — The  Palceotrochis  of  Montgomery  county,  is  closely  allied  to  the  Oldhamia 
of  Ireland,  the  oldest  known  fossil  of  the  British  Dominions ;  both  are  Zoophites  of 
the  same  order. 


APPENDIX. 


I  AViSH  to  supply  in  this  appendix  some  omissions  without 
a  special  division  into  chapters  and  sections,  which  I  have 
made  in  the  body  of  the  report.  - 

§  1.  The  first  omissions  relate  to  the  water  power  of  the 
Koanoke  at  and  near  Weldon. 

This  power  occupies  an  important  position  in  consequence 
of  the  intersection  of  rail  ways  at  this  place,  making  it  an 
accessible  point  from  the  north,  north-west,  south  and  south- 
west.    It  is  also  in  the  midst  of  fertile  and  productive  lands. 

I  have  not  attempted  to  estimate  the  amount  of  this  power 
at  or  near  this  place  ;  but  it  will  be  seen,  that  it  is  very  great. 
Let  any  one  examine  the  locations  along  the  canal  for  five  or 
six  miles,  and  he  will  be  surprised  that  a  power  so  vast,  so 
convenient,  so  controllable,  is  still  unoccupied  by  mills.  If 
the  canal  itself  should  take  the  place  of  a  mill  race,  and  there 
can  be  no  objection  to  this  position,  it  furnishes  sites  for  man- 
ufactories for  five  or  six  miles,  with  the  whole  power  of  the 
Roanoke  to  support  them.  Weldon  should  become  a  large 
manufacturing  town ;  at  least,  I  can  see  no  reason  why  it 
should  not. 

§  2.  Jones'  Fall  or  Lockmlle. — The  alterations  which  have 
been  made  in  the  locks  and  canal  at  this  place,  will  greatly 
improve  it  as  a  manufacturing  site.  The  whole  river  will  be 
controlled  and  commanded.  The  site  itself  is  convenient  and 
free  from  danger  during  high  water.  On  the  south-west  side, 
one  mile  and  a  qarter  above  the  Falls,  there  is  another  valua- 
ble water  power  owned  by  Capt.  Bryant ;  the  amount  of  fall 
and  its  advantages  I  am  not  able  to  state. 

These  water  powers  are  near  the  deposits  of  coal  and  iron, 
or  near  the  centre  of  an  important  and  growing  district.  It 
is  connected  with  Pittsborough  by  a  Plankroad,  and  will  un- 
doubtedly be  connected  with  Raleigh  by  a  Railway ;  and 


■A  ■ 

344:  APPENDIX. 

being  upon  the  river,  it  is  connected  with  Fayetteville  and 
Wilmington  and  the  ocean,  by  navigable  waters  ;  hence  this 
point  is  one  of  great  importance.  The  village  of  Haywood 
near  by,  though  now  dilapidated,  is  built  upon  a  pleasant  and 
healthy  site  in  the  forks  of  Deep  and  Haw  river  ;  its  position 
is  beautiful  and  furnishes  eligible  sites  for  country  residences, 
scarcely  equalled  by  any  in  the  State. 

There  are  many  locations  in  this  State,  with  advantages  for 
manufacturing,  which  recommend  themselves  to  I^orthern 
companies  who  require  more  power  than  they  can  command 
at  home.  Of  these,  "Weldon,  Jones'  Falls,  the  Horseshoe 
Bend  of  the  Catawba,  the  South  Yadkin,  are  among  the  best 
unoccupied  sites.  "Weldon  is  the  place  for  the  manufacture 
of  cotton ;  Jones'  Falls  is  adapted  to  cotton  and  iron ;  the 
Horseshoe  Bend  and  the  South  Yadkin  for  iron. 

GILLIS  COPPER  MINE. 

§  3.  Tliis  mine  is  near  the  east  line  of  Person  separating  it 
from  Granville  county.  It  is  in  the  north-east  corner  of  Per- 
son, and  only  about  five  miles  from  the  Yirginia  line.  The 
country  is  rather  elevated,  being  probably  eight  or  nine  hun- 
dred feet  above  Henderson. 

The  rock  immediately  investing  the  mine  is  an  altered 
slate  belonging  to  the  Taconic  system.  About  a  mile  east, 
the  conglomerates  form  a  very  prominent  part  of  the  series  ; 
but  they  are  beyond  the  influence  of  the  forces  which  chang- 
ed the  slates  referred  to. 

On  the  west,  slates  which  I  have  usually  regarded  as  tal- 
cose,  but  which  I  now  believe  are  argillaceous,  succeeded 
the  metamorphic  ones ;  but  another  altered  belt  is  encoun- 
tered in  about  five  miles  to  the  west,  in  which  there  are  also 
veins  which  carry  the  ores  of  copper.  I  refer  to  the  belt 
which  traverses  the  land  of  William  Gillis.  The  altered  belt 
in  which  the  Gillis  mine  occurs,  pursues  a  direction  nearly 
north  and  south,  or  nearly,  if  not  exactly  on  the  parallel  of 
the  line  dividing  the  two  counties ;  but  the  strike  of  the  vein 
isN".  10°  E.,  with  a  steep  easterly  dip,  amounting  to  about  Y0°. 
It  is  however,  slightly  variable  at  difi'erent  depths  in  the  shaft. 


APPENDIX. 


345 


The  metal  which  the  vein  carries,  is  known  as  the  vitreous 
copper  ore,  which  yields  when  properly  dressed,  about  sixty 
per  cent,  of  copper.  Two  shafts  have  been  sunk  upon  the 
vein,  both  of  which  have  been  carried  to  the  depth  of  eighty 
feet.  The  lode  continues  all  the  way  down,  but  is  variable 
in  width.  At  the  present  time,  at  the  depth  of  eighty  feet, 
it  is  eighteen  inches  in  the  south  shaft,  and  about  five  feet  in 
the  north.  The  vein  stone  is  a  porous  quartz,  stained  and 
impregnated  with  the  green  carbonate  of  copper.  In  the 
north  shaft,  calcspar  has  accompanied  the  quartz,  though  it 
is  mostly  in  bunches.  •  '^ 

The  vein  carries  in  addition  to  the  vitreous  copper,  silicate 
of  copper,  green  carbonate,  red  and  black  oxides  of  cop- 
per, the  latter  rare ;  and  the  red  oxide  first  appeared  in  the 
eighty  foot  level,  where  the  vitreous  ore  is  in  a  continuous 
belt  running  across  the  shaft.  The  width  is  from  two  to  four 
inches  nearly  pure  vitreous  copper.  On  each  side  the  quartz, 
gossan,  etc,  is  impregnated  with  the  carbonate  intermixed 
with  chrysocoUa. 

This  vein  was  examined  about  eighteen  months  ago.  I 
expressed  a  favorable  opinion  of  it  which  was  based  partly 
upon  the  ground,  that  it  carried  a  rich  metal  in  a  continuous 
depository,  which  extended  according  to  my  own  examina- 
tion, at  that  time,  almost  a  mile.  It  is  now  known  to  extend 
about  five  miles.  The  vein  I  found  well  formed  and  regular. 
Subsequently  a  contract  was  made  by  a  party  who  proposed 
to  work  it.  This  party,  however,  reported  after  a  brief  trial, 
that  the  vein  had  disappeared,  and  that  it  was  entirely  worth- 
less. This  unexpected  report  was  scarcely  credible,  but  be- 
ing unable  at  that  time  to  make  a  farther  exploration,  I  could 
not  say  that  the  report  was  untrue.  I  omitted,  therefore,  a 
reference  to  it  in  the  proper  place ;  but  fortunately,  the  own- 
ers having  employed  a  gentleman  of  intelligence  and  capac- 
ity, to  open  the  mine  properly,  it  turns  out  a  rich  and  valua- 
ble depository  of  metal.  Encouragement  has  followed  the 
sinking  of  the  shafts  referred  to,  and  I  now  feel  confident  that 
it  will  prove  better  than  I  was  led  to  expect  on  my  first  ex- 


346  APPENDIX. 

amination.  It  now  bids  fair  to  become  one  of  tbe  rich  mines 
of  the  State. 

It  was  expected  when  Gillis'  mine  was  first  opened,  the 
vitrons  copper  would  change,  or  be  replaced  by  the  poorer, 
the  yellow  sulphuret,  but  as  yet  there  are  no  indications  of 
change,  very  few  particles  of  the  yellow  ore  having  been 
observed. 

The  indications  which  the  rocks  furnish,  taken  in  connec- 
tion with  the  fact  that  there  are  other  veins  than  the  one  de- 
scribed in  this  neighborhood  are  that  this  part  of  Person  and 
Granville  will  prove  a  mineral  district  of  considerable  import- 
ance. 

§  4.  One  remark  which  may  be  properly  made  in  this  place 
respects  the  chemical  composition  of  the  copper  ores :  it  is 
this,  that  they  cannot  be  regarded  as  definite  chemical  com- 
pounds, but  mixtures  which  may  have  the  following  range  : 
2  Cu.  S.,  Fe.  S.,  but  are  generally  represented  by  Cu.  S.,  Fe. 

2  '  2 

S.  or  3  Cu.  S.  Fe.  S,     There  are  ores  or  sulphides  (sulphur- 

2  2         3 

ets)  which  are  definite  in  composition,  or  uniform  in  their 
proportions  of  sulphur  and  metallic  elements,  especially  when 
crystalized,  or  crystaline,  but  there  is  more  which  is  promis- 
cuously commingled,  and  which  consists  of  several  sulphides 
in  various  and  indeterminable  proportions,  and  those  which 
are  richest  in  gold  have  an  excess  of  sulphur.  Selenium 
sometimes  occurs  also  in  some  varieties  of  sulphides. 

§  5.  Iron  ore  of  a  fine  quality  is  another  product  which  is  wor- 
thy of  note,  but  this  ore  is  more  abundant  in  the  region  of 
Mount  Tirza  and  Red  Mountain, 

This  series  of  sediments  continues  westward  from  fifteen  to 
twenty  miles.  Upon  Hyco,  about  five  miles  north  of  Kox- 
boro,  I  found  its  northern  termination  in  a  mass  of  felspar- 
thic  quartz  rock  at  Marlow  Mountain,  on  a  ridge  of  hills  show- 
ing some  very  bold  features  where  they  are  traversed.  Two 
prominent  naked  pinnacles  crown  the  summits  of  this  moun- 
tain. They  are  highly  picturesque  objects,  and  well  worthy 
of  a  visit  by  the  curious  and  by  geologists.  They  seem  to  be 
metamorphic,  and  consist  of  a  compound  of  albite  and  quartz, 


APPENDIX.  347 

or  else  of  the  prismatic  felspdr.  Associated  with  those 
singular  pinnacles  are  beds  of  argillaceous  slate,  agalmatolite 
or  argillaceous  soapstone,  silicious  slate,  approaching  a  sand- 
stone. Some  of  the  beds  are  highly  charged  with  magnetic 
iron  ore,  in  imperfect  crystals,  and  it  is  highly  probable  that 
it  will  be  found  in  beds  of  considerable  magnitude. 

This  formation  in  Person  County  is  identical  with  that  of 
Montgomery  County,  not  far  from  Troy.  It  is  there  accom- 
panied with  veins  of  iron  ore.  The  stellated  talc  of  Cotton 
Stone  Mountain  occurs  in  a  similar  formation.  It  may  prove 
that  this  mineral  is  not  magnesian,  and  may  be  one  of  the 
.  forms  or  varieties  of  Agalmatolite.  These  rocks  rest  upon  the 
primary  schists,  hornblende  slate,  talcose  slate,  etc.,  with  fels- 
pathic  veins,  some  of  which  are  white  and  pure. 

§  6.  Labyrinthodont  of  the  Deep  Hiver  Coal  Measures. — Al- 
lusion has  been  already  made  to  this  fossil  under  the  name  of 
Archegosaurus.  The  first  saurians  of  this  type  were  found  in 
the  coal  of  Saarbruck,  in  Germany.  The  cranial  bones  of  this 
singular  lizard  are  beautifully  sculptured,  and  ornamented 
with  pits.  It  is  readily  distinguished  from  the  Thecodont  sau- 
rians by  these  characteristics.  It  occupies  the  same  position, 
being  imbedded  in  the  coal  of  the  lower  part  of  the  six  foot 
seam. 

In  conclusion,  I  find  it  necessary  to  say  that  the  animal  re- 
mains which  have  been  described  in  the  foregoing  pages  have 
been  submitted  to  the  examination  of  Joseph  Leidy,  Prof,  of 
Anatomy  in  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  Prof.  L.  is  one 
of  the  ablest  comparative  anatomist  in  this  country,  and  it  was 
expected  that  he  would  have  been  able  to  have  furnished  a 
descriptive  catalogue  of  the  interesting  fossils  of  deep  and  Dan 
rivers  in  season  to  have  been  inserted  in  this  report.  But  in 
this  expectation  I  am  disappointed,  and  have  occasion  to  re- 
gret it,  because,  if  I  have  fallen  into  errors,  those  errors  would 
have  been  corrected  in  this  volume. 

Fig.  e.        g  Y.  OivnssiON. — ^The  figure  of  the  transverse  section 

Oof  the  large  tooth  of  the  Clepsisaurus  Pennsylvani- 
cus  was  omitted.  It  is  now  placed  in  the  margin. 
It  is  bicarinate  near  the  base  and  unequally  convex. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  PLATES. 

Plate  I. 

Fig.  1.  Supposed  to  be  an  Equisetum.  Its  stem,  however, 
appears  to  be  angular,  and  if  so  it  belongs  probably  to  an  un- 
described  genus.  It  belongs  to  the  npper  Sandstone  of  Deep 
river. 

Fig.  2.  Sphenoglossum  quadrifolium.     Upper  sandstone. 

Fig.  3.  Dyctuocaulus  striatus. 

Fig.  4.  Grjmnocaulus  alternatus. 

Plate  II. 

Fig.  1.  Supposed  to  be  a  Pecopteris. 

Fig.  2.  Neuropteris.  (?) 

Fig.  3.  Equisetum  column aroides. 

Fig.  4.  Chondrites  gracilis. 

Fig.  5.  Leafet  of  an  undescribed  plant. 

Fig.  6.  Neuropteris  linsefolia. 

Fig.  7.  Diaphragm  of  the  Equisetum  columnare. 

Fig.  8.  Pecopteris  buUatus. 

Fig.  9.  Equisetum  columnare. — Eichmond  coal  basin. 

Plate  III. 

Fig.  1.  Pterozamites  decussatus. 

Fig.  2.  Walchia  diffusus. 

Fig.  3.  Lycopodites. 

Fig.  4.  Lepacyciotes  circularis. 

Fig.  5.  Undetermined,  in  consequence  of  the  obscurity  of 
the  side  veins. 

Fig.  6.  Lepacyciotes  elHpticus. 

Fig.  7.  Podozamites  lanceolatus. 

Fig.  8.  Pterozamites  of  the  upper  sandstone. 

Plate  lY. 

Fig.  1.  Pecopteris  CaroKnensis,  showing  its  sori,  nat.  size. 

Fig.  2.  Sori  enlarged. 

Fig.  3.  Pecopteris? 

Fig.  4.  Calamites  disjunctus. 

Fig.  5.  Pecopteris  falcatus.  ?    Barren  frond.  ? 

Fig.  8.  Acrostichites  oblongus. 

Fig.  6.  Enlarged  view,  showing  the  reticulated  side  veins 
and  their  distribution. 

Fig.  7.  Calamites.  . 

Fig.  9.  Pecopteris  falcatus. 

Fig.  10.  Cyclopteris. 

Fig.  11.  Dionites  graminoides. 


350  descrivtion  of  the  plates. 

Plate  Y. 

Fig.  1.  Tibia  of  a  saurian  found  in  the  upper  sandstone,  or 
tlie  Keuper  sandstone. 

Fig.  2.  Fragment  of  a  cervical  verfeba.  ? 

Fig.  3.  Tooth  of  the  Clepsisaurus  Pennsylvanicus. 

Fig.  4.  Fish  scale  enlarged ;  natural  size  below. 

Fig.  5.  Portion  of  the  frontal  bone  of  the  Rutiodon  Caroli- 
nensis. 

Plate  YI. 

Fig.  1.  Fish  scale,  natural  size. 

Fig.  2.  Supposed  ichthyodolerite. 

Fig.  3.  Metatarsal  bone,  or  it  may  be  a  short  rib.  Taken 
from  the  sandstone  at  Germantown. 

Fig.  4.  Undetermined.  Found  in  the  bituminous  shale  at 
Farmersville. 

Fig.  5.  Undetermined.  From  the  black  bituminous  shale 
of  Farmersville. 

Figs.  6,  Y  and  9.  Coprolites  from  the  bituminous  shale, 
Farmersville. 

Fig.  8.  Two  lumbar  vertebrse,  in  position  and  iiatural  size, 
with  the  crushed  ribs,  and  beneath  showing  a  portion  of  the 
spinous  process.     From  the  bituminous  shale,  Farmersville. 

Plate  YII. 

Fig.  1.  Femur  of  a  saurian  from  the  gray  sandstone,  Ger- 
man ton. 

Fig.  2.  Tibia  in  juxtaposition  with  the  former. 

Fig.  3.  Showing  the  form  of  a  transverse  section  near  the 
distal  extremity. 

Fig.  4.  Form  or  shape  of  the  articular  extremity  of  the  ver- 
tebra of  the  Putiodon. 

Fig.  5.  Longitudinal  section  of  the  same  vertebra,  showing 
its  concavities  and  constricted  centrum. 

Plate   YIII. 

Fig.  1.  Three  consecutive  dorsal  vertebrse,  showing  tha 
articulation  of  the  ribs. 

Fig.  2.  The  form   and  relation  of  the  rib  to  the  vertebra. 

Fig.  3.  Coracoid  bone. 

Fiff.  4.  Supposed  to  be  a  part  of  the  humerus. 

Plate  rX. 

Figs.  1  and  2.  Dictyopyge  from  the  Pichmond  coal  forma- 
tion. 

Fig.  3.  Tetragonolepis,  from  the  same. 

Fig.  4.  Genus  Ischypterus,  Sunderland,  Mass. 

"Plate  9.     (Map.) 

Plan  of  the  veins  at  Gold  Hill,  showing  their  relations  and 
directions. 


DESCKIPTION   OF   THE   PLATES. 


361 


Plate  X. 

Plan  sliowino;  the  arrangement  of  tlie  pockets,  as  they  are 
called,  in  the  Gold  Hill  mine,  and  on  the  left  the  regular  off 
sets  of  the  vein  as  it  descends. 

Plate  XI. 

Exhibits  a  plan  of  the  working  of  the  ISTorth  Carolina  cop- 
per mine  of  Guilford  county. 

Plate  XII. 

The  underground  workings  of  the  Pudersill  mine  at  Char- 
lotte, Mecklenburgh  county. 

Plate   XIII. 

Plan  of  the  veins  of  the  Conrad  Hill  mine,  Davidson 
county. 

Plate  XI Y. — Sections. 

Sec.  1.  Extending  from  Lincolnton  to  Wadesboro',  running 
nearly  east  and  west,  showing  the  position  of  the  Taconic  sys- 
tem near  Lincolnton,  and  the  relations  of  the  Trias,  near 
"Wadesboro,  Anson  County.  The  numbers  below  indicate  the 
distance  in  miles. 

Sec.  2.  Showing  the  relation  of  the  rocks  from  Gold  Hill 
to  Troy,  Montgomery  county,  and  the  position  in  which  fos- 
sils occur  in  the  older  rocks  at  the  latter  place. 

Plate. (Seetions.) 

Sec.  1.  Showing  the  series  of  sandstones  and  slates  with 
the  coal  seams  at  the  Gulf. 

Sec.  2.  The  same  section  prolonged  north-west,  showing 
the  relations  and  position  of  the  veins  of  iron  ore  in  the  Ta- 
conic series,  together  with  the  position  of  the  brecciated  con- 
glomerates. S.  I.,  specular  iron.  H.  I.,  hsematitic  iron  at 
ore  knob.     Con.,  conglomerate.     T.  S.,  Taconic  slates. 

Sec.  3,  extends  across  the  coal  series  at  Murchisons,  Moore 
county.     F.  C,  fire  clay. 

Sec.  4,  extends  across  the  coal  series  at  Evander  Mclver's. 
The  Salines  consist  of  drab  colored  sandstanes,  which,  in  dry 
weather,  are  coated  with  salt.  The  Breccia  marks  the  boun- 
dary here  between  the  Keuper  sandstone  and  the  coal  meas- 
ures, though  the  term  breccia  would  be  more  properly  re- 
placed by  the  term  conglomerate. 


EEEATA. 

Page  XV.,  6th  line  from  top  for  ''fine''  read  "/re." 

Page  XVI,  16th  line  from  top,  for  "prqjenitoirs"  read  "progenitors.^* 

Page  20, 12th  line  from  the  top,  for  "  chrystallme''  read  "  crystalline'^ 

Page  21,  4th  line  from  the  bottom,  for  "plains"  read  "planes." 

Page  96,  middle  of  the  page,  for  "irimptive"  read  "eruptive." 

Page  154,  2nd  line  from  the  bottom,  for  "Maury"  read  "  Mooney." 

Page  216,  4th  line  from  the  top,  for  "  Asbestos"  read  "  Ashestus." 

Page  219,  7th  line  from  the  top  for  "  Eeaden"  read  "Heading." 

Page  201, 14th  line  from  the  bottom,  for  "hard"  read  "hased." 

Page  205,  9th  line  from  the  top,  for  "murkey"  read  "railkey." 

Page  228,  for  "  Ti'iassic"  read  "  Liassic." 

Page  291.  for  "  Clubb"  read  "  Club." 

Page  295,  for  "  Byley  avxl  Scutchburg"  read  "  Riley  and  Scutchbury." 

Page  292,  for  "  Polipodiacea"  read  "  Polypodiaoea." 

Page  233,  8th  line  from  the  top,  for  "  Native"  read  "  Saline." 

Page  238, 10th line  from  the  bottom,  for  "crusted"  read  "ci'ushed." 

Page  235, 17th  line  from  the  bottom,  for  "  Sigellaria"  read  "  Sigillaria.'' 

Page  235,  8d  line  from  the  bottom,  for  "  Stone"  read  "  Stems." 

Page  269, 14th  line  from  the  top,  tor  "Jiemalite"  read  "  TiaemMite." 

Page  239,  2nd  line  from  the  top,  for  "plats"  read  "  plants." 

Page  239,  3d  line,  for  "  SycopodiacecC  read  "  Lycopodiacea." 

Page  233, 15th  line  from  the  top,  for  " Suringia"  read  "  TImringia." 

Page  244  and  245,  for  "  Fooshee"  read  "  Fm^shee,"  and  for  "  Dyers"  read  "  Dye's." 

Page  251, 11th  line  from  the  top,  for  "triated"  read  "  tested"  and  for  "case"  read 

ease." 

Page  290,  4th  Une  from  the  top,  for  "  Gryptomeritus"  read  "  Cryptomerites." 

Page  300, 11th  line  from  the  bottom  for  "  Pennsylvanius"  read  "  Pennsyhanicus." 

Page  337,  for  " Sycopodiacea"  read  "Lycopodiacea." 

Change  Zamites,  Plate  4,  fig.  11,  to  Dionites. 


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